1-seed Duke basketball is gearing up to take on 1-seed Houston with a trip to the national title game on the line. The contest will tip off in San Antonio at 8:49pm ET on CBS.
The Blue Devils now sit with the third-most Final Four appearances all-time for any program in the nation after securing the program's 18th appearance this year. The only programs with more are North Carolina (21) and UCLA (19).
Now with Duke basketball surging for its sixth national championship, let's take a look at the program's history in the Final Four.
Duke Final Four record: 11-6
This Final Four appearance will be Duke's first since 2022, a game that ended in pure disbelief for the Blue Devil faithful after former Tar Heel Caleb Love hit a ridiculous three to rip Duke's hearts out and end Coach K's career. The program has already ended Love's career in this season's Sweet Sixteen and is looking to avenge that loss with a win over the Cougars. Before 2022, the Blue Devils won their previous two Final Four matchups and won the national championship in both years (2010, 2015). Across the past 25 seasons, Duke is 3-2 in the Final Four, with all three wins resulting in national title victories. Additionally, since Duke won its first national championship in 1991, the program has won the national championship five out of the nine times it advanced past the Final Four. Duke has a 3-0 record against 1-seeds in the Final Four since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams. The Blue Devils will be facing a Houston program that's still searching for its first national title in program history. The Cougars are 2-4 all-time in the Final Four, and this is the program's second appearance in the last weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 1984.
Duke all-time record versus Houston: 1-0
The Blue Devils faced Houston for the first time in program history last season in the Sweet Sixteen, a game that saw 4-seed Duke upset 1-seed Houston 54-51. It was an ugly game and a game the Cougars could've won, but their veteran star Jamal Shead went down with a nasty ankle injury and missed the remainder of the contest. Now, Houston will look for revenge with higher stakes on the line in a game where both teams are much better than last season. Houston ranks third nationally in three-point percentage at 39.7% per KenPom, a team that ranked 133rd in three-point percentage last season at 34.8% as a team. And for Duke, this might be the most talented and versatile Blue Devils squad there's ever been in an NCAA Tournament. This game has a chance to be an instant classic, and Duke will need to lead defensively to take it home.