Cougars are gearing up for a big moment in their historic season: Their first-ever NCAA March Madness tournament. SIUE (a 16-seed) will take on the college basketball powerhouse Houston Cougars (a 1-seed) in their tournament debut Thursday afternoon.

I don’t like to lose. I’m definitely going to be mad about this game when I look back,” said SIUE guard Ray’Sean Taylor.

MLS Season Pass Analyst Kaylyn Kyle joined FOX 2 to talk about the upcoming CITY SC game against the Seattle Sounders. A local press company founded more than 20 years ago in St. Louis is ready to help celebrate 314 Day with a sweet deal on some one-of-a-kind books.

It’s a cougar on cougar matchup to kick off March Madness as the No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars and No. 16-seeded SIU Edwardsville cougars go head-to-head on Thursday night. Houston earned a No. 1 seed after a 30-4 season, finishing first in the Big 12. SIUE finished second in the Ohio Valley conference with a 22-11 overall record.

The top-seed in the Midwest, the Houston Cougars (30-4) take the court in their first game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against the 16-seed SIUE Cougars (22-11). Houston won the Big 12 Tournament and SIUE won the Ohio Valley Conference.

What time is the Houston vs. SIU Edwardsville NCAA Tournament game? How to watch Cougars vs. Cougars March Madness game on Thursday, March 20 on TV.

Houston looks to begin their March Madness run as we continue our College Basketball odds series with an SIUE-Houston prediction and pick.

Underdog teams go on runs in the NCAA Tournament every year. These teams are known as Cinderella stories in March Madness.

Madness picks, predictions, odds for SIU Edwardsville vs Houston first-round Midwest Region game on Thursday, March 20, 2025.