Houston vs. Duke NCAA Tournament Final Four Predictions
It was a chalky first two weekends as only for the second time in tournament history, first since 2008, all four No. 1 teams won their region. This means we’ll have the best of the best squaring off, and there will be nothing short of star power for each game. We’ll break down Houston vs. Duke and give you the best bet and predictions in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
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Best NCAA Final Four Predictions: Houston vs. Duke
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Houston Cougars vs. Duke Blue Devils (-5.5) | O/U 135.5 (-115/-105)
These were two of the best teams throughout the regular season, with Duke and Houston being No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the KenPom rankings. Both teams have used their offense and defense to win games and are efficient on both sides.
That was evident with Duke just in the last two games; they had to play in a high-scoring shootout against Arizona, where they won 100-93, then followed that up with shutting down Alabama's top-scoring offense for the 85-65 win.
Cooper Flagg is the most notable player in this matchup, and as the future No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, it's deserved, but this team is deep with talent. The big man Khaman Maluach has been incredible, with at least 13 points and six rebounds in the previous two games, and Kon Knueppel has back-to-back 20-point performances.
If there's a team that can contain this beast, it's Houston. They are physical enough and will full-court press. This feels like a game in which L.J. Cryer needs to have a memorable performance. Duke is a tall team, and they could struggle to get points in the paint, so their outside shooting needs to be on point. Cryer is 41% from the field and 42% from three and if shoots near his averages, he keeps them in contention the whole game.
It will come down if Duke can follow through with the pick-and-roll against Houston's smothering defense and hit the contested shots. Duke has size, but Houston will be physical in the frontcourt. We could have a slow-paced defensive showdown, which would mean low scoring.
Pick: Under 135.5 Total Points (-105)