1-seed Duke will face off against 1-seed Houston in the Final Four this weekend, a matchup of potentially the two best teams in college basketball. However, only one will have a chance to compete for a national championship next week.
Here's all the info you need to know before the Blue Devils take on the Cougars in the Final Four.
When and where: 8:49pm ET on CBS, Saturday, April 5th, at Alomodome in San Antonio, TX
Streaming platforms to watch Duke: FuboTV, HULU, Paramount+
Opponent: 1-seed Houston Cougars (34-4, 19-1 Big 12). Kelvin Sampson's squad hasn't lost since February 1st in an overtime defeat at home to Texas Tech. The Cougars won the Big 12 regular season title and Big 12 Tournament Championship. Houston took down 16-seed SIU Edwardsville 78-40 in the Round of 64, 8-seed Gonzaga 81-76 in the Round of 32, 4-seed Purdue 62-60 in the Sweet Sixteen, and 2-seed Tennessee 69-50 in the Elite Eight to win the Midwest Region and advance to the Final Four in San Antonio.
Betting odds: Duke -5.5, -250 moneyline. Total points O/U 135.5 per ESPNBET.
Overview and predictions
Houston and Duke have arguably been the two most dominant teams in college basketball this season. The Cougars haven't lost since February 1st, and the Blue Devils haven't dropped a game since February 8th. Both programs won their respective conference regular season titles and tournament championships and are riding high on momentum heading into San Antonio. The Cougars have had more scares than Duke through the NCAA Tournament, as Duke has won its four contests by an average margin of 23.2 points.
This game will feature physicality and elite defense on both sides, as Houston and Duke are the #1 and #5 ranked defenses in the nation per KenPom. The Cougars are the 2nd-best three-point shooting team in the nation at 39.7% collectively and have three players shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. However, the Blue Devils have only allowed one of their opponents through the tournament to shoot over 40% from three. Duke held an Alabama team to 8-of-32 (25%) shooting from three the game after the Crimson Tide put up 113 points on BYU while shooting a ridiculous 25-of-51 (49%) from the perimeter.
Overall, Duke's defensive skillset and length will be too much for the Cougars, and the Blue Devils will advance by matching Houston's physicality and keeping it off the offensive glass.
Final score prediction: 76-67 Duke