1-seed Duke basketball will take on 1-seed Houston in the Final Four this Saturday in San Antonio. The game will tip off at 8:49pm ET on CBS.
This is the second time in NCAA Tournament history and first time since 2008 that all four 1-seeds made it to the Final Four, and both games have potential to be instant classics.
The Blue Devils have drawn a pesky Cougars squad which is as physical as any team in the nation on the defensive side of the ball. Duke will need to match the physical nature of Kelvin Sampson's group to pull away and earn a bid to the national title game.
Duke is also looking to keep Houston guard LJ Cryer from making college basketball history on Saturday night.
The fifth-year senior has a chance to become the first player in college basketball history to win a national championship with two different schools. Cryer won the 2021 national championship when he was with Baylor. This is Cryer's second season at Houston after he spent the first three of his collegiate career with the Bears.
Cryer is the Cougars' experienced leader in the backcourt, and Duke's guards will have a tall task on their hands keeping the Houston shooters in check, such as Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, along with Cryer.
The 6'1 Cryer is averaging 15.4 points per game this season on 40.9% shooting from the floor and 41.9% shooting from three-point range on 7.1 attempts from three a night.
Houston comes into the game as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation, ranked second nationally in three-point percentage per KenPom at 39.7%. The Cougars have four guys playing double-digit minutes shooting 36% or better from beyond the arc, including Sharp who shoots the three ball at 41.5% and Uzan who shoots it at a 44.5% clip.
Duke is by far the best offensive squad that Houston has faced so far through March Madness, but the Blue Devils will have to be as aggressive as ever against the #1 ranked defense in the country.
Houston and Duke might be the best two teams in the country, but only one will have the chance to play for a national championship next week.