Is Houston out of March Madness? Exploring Cougars' odds of making NCAA tournament

The Houston Cougars came into championship week as not only the number one seed in the Big 12 confrence but also the top ranked team in the nation.

The Cougars made the Big 12 championship game against the Iowa State Cyclones, where victory would have guarantee the Cougars a spot in the NCAA tournament. However, things did not go to plan for Houston, as they lost heavily, 69-41, to the Cyclones.

That gave Iowa State the automatic spot in the NCAA tournament, but can the Houston Cougars still make the "Big Dance"?

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Will Houston make March Madness?

The simple answer to the question is yes. The Houston Cougars are going to be involved in March Madness.

The winners of every conference tournament get an automatic place in the March Madness bracket. That fills 32 of the 68 available spots. The remaining 36 spots are "at large" berths, who are filled by the best 36 teams who did not win their conference tournament. These are chosen by the selection committee.

It's guaranteed that the Houston Cougars will be one of these teams chosen by the committee. But this will have a knock on effect on those teams who are on the bubble.

That's because a team who many had though would advance to the tournament through a automatic spot will now be taking a at large berth away from a team that may need it to enter the tournament.

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What are Houston's odds of winning March Madness?

The Houston Cougars may be entering the tournament without a conference title, but they are still one of the favorites to lift the national championship in Arizona.

According to Bet MGM, the Cougars have the second best odds to win the NCAA tournament at +550. Only the UConn Huskies have better odds to win the tournament.

Bet MGM has placed them at +425, with the Purdue Boilermakers, who also suffered a shock defeat on Saturday to the Wisconsin Badgers, at +700.