No. 10 Rutgers vs. No. 2 Houston from Midwest Region. Scarlet Knights center Myles Johnson left late in the first-round win over Clemson with an injury but is good to go -- and that's important as he averages 8.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in about 23 minutes per. The Cougars, meanwhile, may or may not have guard DeJon Jarreau (10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.2 apg), whom has been called the team's MVP by coach Kelvin Sampson. It appears he will try to play but left after not even a minute in the first round vs. Cleveland State due to injury. The Knights can keep this close.

Rutgers has shown great improvement since the middle of January, going 9-5 straight up and ATS. The Scarlet Knights have a very experienced team. Their top six players are either juniors or seniors. Rutgers is 16th in the nation in defensive efficiency. The Scarlet Knights can keep this one close. My model has Houston -5.

Houston is ruthless with its No. 1 defense that allows only 37.1 percent shooting. The Cougars harass full throttle the entire game regardless of the score. And they always seem to be there to rebound their own missed shots. Their defense paves the way for their offense. Their nonstop defense is what allows them to cover big spreads regularly, going 19-8 ATS this season. Rutgers will have trouble. Houston to win by double digits.