MARCH MADNESS

Everything you wanted to know and more as Cougars open tournament against Northern Kentucky

Everything you wanted to know and more as Cougars open tournament against Northern Kentucky
The action starts Thursday night for the Coogs!Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images.
All the reasons Kelvin Sampson and the red-hot Coogs deserve more run

Houston has hosted more than its share of mega-monster sports moments and events – Super Bowls, World Series, Final Fours, college basketball’s “Game of the Century,” the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, Muhammad Ali title fights and more.

But if, and let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the University of Houston makes it to the Final Four held at NRG Stadium April 1-3, and, fingers crossed, wins the NCAA basketball championship …

That will be the cherry on top of the biggest, most exciting, happiest sports week in Houston history. This city will absolutely lose its flippin' mind. Yeah, that's how big the Final Four is.

Don’t forget, the week from March 30 to April 5 also has our World Series champion Astros opening their 2023 season with home series against the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Opening Night March 30 will feature the unveiling of the 2022 World Series banner, and the Astros will receive their championship rings the following night.

The Astros and Final Four will go head-to-head on Saturday, April 1 and Monday, April 3. The Astros will be giving away Jeremy Pena World Series MVP bobbleheads on April 1. The promotion for April 3 is a package deal - a ticket, soda, hot dog and popcorn for $22.

All this excitement, of course, has a price. For Astros Opening Night, the cheapest tickets on the secondary market run from $99 in the upper deck to more than a grand for field level.

That’s peanuts, with or without popcorn, compared to tickets for the NCAA championship game on April 3. Those are selling for $200 for seats in the heavens all the way to $7,000 for courtside tickets.

The March Madness Music Festival at Discovery Green will be held Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2 and will feature Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Maggie Rogers, Little Big Town and more. Tickets will be free, but you have to register to claim them at ncaa.com/marchmadness/musicfest.

If the University of Houston wins the title … look out below! There will be a parade downtown that will rival the celebration following our World Series triumph last year. Just call us “Championship City.”

UH coach Kelvin Sampson will own this town and cement his legacy as an all-time beloved coach and Houston icon. It will only add to the frenzy that this year marks the 40th anniversary of UH’s heartbreaking loss to NC State in the 1983 championship game. Revenge is a dish best served cold on a basketball court.

Jim Nantz, a UH grad, will be calling play-by-play for his 33rd and final Final Four on CBS in his adopted hometown of Houston. Talk about wrapping things up with a nice bow.

The Final Four is big stuff, one of the most-watched sports events in the U.S. Last year, with Kansas topping North Carolina, the championship game attracted 18.1 million viewers. That’s more than the NBA Finals (16.9 million), World Series (14.3 million), Masters golf tournament (13.6 million) and Wimbledon (7.5 million).

The 31-3 Cougars are currently the (+500) betting favorite to be crowned champions. That means if you bet $10 on UH you can win $50 – and possibly a free mattress from some local “furniture salesman.” (Just kidding, love ya Mack.)

The next favorite is Alabama at (+800) meaning if you bet $10 on the Crimson Tide you can win $80. Among the ultimate longshots is Northern Kentucky University, the Cougars’ first-round opponent. The Norse (odd nickname for a school in Kentucky) are listed at (+100,000), meaning if you bet $10 on them, and they win the whole shebang, you’ll be $10,000 to the good. But don’t bet on it.

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Jeremy Peña is having success hitting fourth. Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros host the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night looking to keep momentum rolling and hand the Jays their fifth straight loss. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.

Both teams enter the matchup with nearly identical records—Houston at 12-11, Toronto at 12-12—but they’re trending in opposite directions. The Astros have won six of their last ten and boast an 8-6 record at home, while the Blue Jays have dropped four straight and are just 4-7 on the road.

Ryan Gusto gets the start for Houston, entering with a 2-1 record, a 3.18 ERA, and 17 strikeouts across three appearances. He’ll go up against Bowden Francis, who brings a 3.13 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP into the game, along with 20 strikeouts in his four starts.

Jeremy Peña continues to spark the Astros lineup with three homers and three doubles, while catcher Yainer Diaz has added timely hits despite a recent slump. For Toronto, George Springer leads the team with a .333 average, and Bo Bichette has been steady at the plate, going 14-for-45 over his last 10 games.

The Blue Jays have found success when they out-hit opponents, going 10-3 in those games—but Houston’s pitching staff has held opponents to just a 2.86 ERA over the past 10 outings.

The betting line has Toronto as slight road favorites at -120, with Houston at +100 and the over/under set at 8 runs.

Here's a look at tonight's lineup. Cam Smith gets the night off in right field, with Zach Dezenzo filling in. It appears Dezenzo's thumb is fine after banging it up sliding into second base a couple of night's ago.


Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.

Jake Myers is also getting the night off as Chas McCormick gets the start in center. And Mauricio Dubon is getting the nod, starting over Brendan Rodgers at second base.

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