No. 1 seed Houston begins what it hopes is a march to the Final Four with a 2024 NCAA Tournament first-round matchup against No. 16 Longwood on Friday. Houston won the Big 12 regular season in its first year in the conference, going 30-4 overall. Meanwhile, the Lancers (21-13) finished fifth in the Big South regular season before winning the conference tournament for the automatic bid.

Tipoff is set for 9:20 p.m. ET from FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. The Cougars are 24-point favorites in the latest Longwood vs. Houston odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 129 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Houston vs. Longwood picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model has factored in that Houston boasts both the nation's top scoring defense and the best defensive rating. Guard Jamal Shead is both the Big 12 Player of the Year and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year as he's averaging 13.1 points, 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals. The Cougars also have recent tournament success on their side as they've made the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments.

The model has also considered that Longwood is peaking at the right time and enters the tourney with four straight victories. The Lancers also crash the glass like few others, ranking 10th in the nation in offensive rebounds. Those second-chance opportunities will be invaluable to cracking Houston's defense, and Longwood can also take solace in the fact that it averages more points than the Cougars entering March Madness.

Now, the model has set its sights on Longwood vs. Houston. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Houston vs. Longwood, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!