The No. 4 seed Illinois Fighting Illini take on the No. 5 seed Houston Cougars in a South Region matchup of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday. Houston is favored by 3.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under is set at 133.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). Before making any Houston vs. Illinois picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows Houston is elite on both ends of the floor, including the No. 12 defense in college basketball. The Cougars are No. 3 in the country in shooting efficiency allowed, with opponents shooting only 29.0 percent from three-point range and 44.0 percent inside the arc this season. Houston forces a turnover on a whopping 21.6 percent of defensive possessions, including a 12.4 percent steal rate. The Cougars also protect the rim at an elite level, ranking No. 3 in the nation with a 17.0 percent block rate.

The model also knows Illinois has a monster in the middle in Kofi Cockburn. The veteran center is averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this season, shooting approximately 60 percent from the field in the process. Cockburn anchors a team that is in the top 30 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The Illini are securing more than 33 percent of available rebounds on the offensive glass, and Illinois shoots 36.3 percent from three-point range.

Now, it has set its sights on Houston vs. Illinois. We can tell you the model is leaning over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Houston vs. Illinois? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Houston vs. Illinois spread you should be all over Sunday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!