The Houston Cougars have been known by BetOnline patrons as a team that can smother an opponent for as long as Kelvin Sampson has been the head coach. They don't give people room to breathe. They challenge everything, especially ball screens that their foes set.

They have earned their spot as a #1 seed in the South, but there are certain opponents who may give them trouble here. One of them might be the Texas A&M Aggies, who they meet up with in the second round of play in the NCAA Tournament, in a game that takes place at the FedEx Forum in Memphis and gets underway at 8:40 PM ET on TNT.

Houston has been beaten only four times this season, and by far the most embarrassing moment they had in quite some time took place in the Big 12 tournament, where Iowa State smoked them to the tune of 69-41. Sampson was hoping that was a one-off, and theer appeared to be some frustration playing out in the opening round of the NCAA's, as they rocked Longwood 86-46, forcing 18 turnovers in the process.

That's one thing the Cougars do very well - in fact, on almost 25% of their opponents' possessions. So how well will they do in that regard against the Aggies, who are in the top twemnty nationwide in taking care of the ball?

That's a good question coming in. Surely A&M has to avoid giving Houston extra possessions. And they will have to capitalize on their own opportunities to get those extra chances. Those are going to have to come on the glass.

In the NCAA Tournament betting odds that have been posted by the folks at BetOnline, Houston is the favorite:

Houston Cougars -10 (-115)
Texas A&M Aggies +10 (-105))

Over 134.5 points -110
Under 134.5 points -110

To say that the Aggies are below-average shooters would be an understatement. They are, for example, 29% from beyond the three-point arc, which threatens to make them very one-dimensional since that's exactly what Houston allowed from out there.

When you shoot like Texas A&M does, you had better be able to earn yourself some second chances. And the Aggies are very good at that - in fact, better than anyone else, statistically. They have pulled down 41.9% of their own misses, which ranks them #1 in the country. When it comes to manning the defensive boards, Houston has been subpar (221st). That makes sense, when you're running out to contest everything, you are going to leave holes somewhere.

Back in December, these teams met, and it was, in effect, a home game for the Cougars, since it was at the Toyota Center. Houston eked out a 70-66 win with eleven triples, and Wade Taylor (19 ppg) busted out for 34 points on the Aggie side. He had to take responsibility for more offense, since Tyrese Radford (16.1 ppg) was not available. A&M committed "only" eleven turnovers, but they did have 17 offensive rebounds.

And so we know that Texas A&M isn't going to be shocked by the kind of pressure they are going to be encountering.

We don't anticipate the tempo will be fast. And Houston neither shoots sharply nor makes free throws with regularity (just 69.1%). So the better play is to grab the points.

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