Teams with long winning streaks face off when the Houston Cougars meet the Duke Blue Devils in a 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup on Saturday night. Houston advanced with a 69-50 win over Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday, while Duke downed Alabama 85-65 on Saturday. The Cougars (34-4), who have won 17 in a row, are seeking their first national championship and are making their seventh Final Four appearance. The Blue Devils (35-3), who have won 15 consecutive games, are seeking their sixth national title and are making their 18th Final Four.
Tipoff from the Alamodome in San Antonio is set for 8:49 p.m. ET on CBS. In their last meeting, Duke defeated Houston 54-51 in the 2024 Sweet 16 in Dallas. Duke is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Houston vs. Duke odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 136.5. Before making any Duke vs. Houston picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters this matchup on a 229-169 roll (+1805) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model also ranks in the 99.5th percentile in a major bracket contest after correctly calling every Elite Eight and Final Four team this year. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Duke vs. Houston and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Duke vs. Houston:
- Duke vs. Houston spread: Duke -4.5
- Duke vs. Houston over/under: 136.5 points
- Duke vs. Houston money line: Duke -220, Houston +181
- HOU: The Cougars are 21-17 against the spread this season
- DUKE: The Blue Devils are 25-13 ATS this season
- Duke vs. Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Duke can cover
Freshman forward Cooper Flagg continues his dominant play. In Saturday’s win over Alabama, he nearly had a double-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He has seven double-doubles on the year, including a 17-point, 14-rebound, two assists, two blocks and two steals in an 80-62 win over Virginia on Feb. 17. In 36 games, all starts, he is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks in 30.5 minutes.
Freshman guard Kon Knueppel has also been on a roll. He has scored 20 or more points in each of the last two games. In Saturday’s win over the Crimson Tide, he poured in 21 points, while grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists and making three steals. In a 100-93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16, he scored 20 points and added four rebounds and three assists. In 38 games, all starts, he is averaging 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and one steal in 30.2 minutes. See which team to pick here.
Why Houston can cover
Senior guard L.J. Cryer helps fuel the Cougars’ dynamic attack. In 38 games this season, all starts, the first-team All-Big 12 selection is averaging 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and two assists. He connects on 40.9% of his field goals, including a blistering 41.9% from 3-point range, and 91.6% of his free throws. In the 81-76 win over Gonzaga in the second round, he poured in 30 points with three assists and two rebounds.
Junior guard Emanuel Sharp has reached double-digit scoring in eight of the last nine games. In a 74-54 win over BYU in the Big 12 Conference Tournament semifinals, he poured in 26 points, while grabbing four rebounds. He had 16 points and two rebounds in Sunday’s win over Tennessee. In 35 games, including 34 starts, he is averaging 12.7 points, three rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27.1 minutes. See which team to pick here.
How to make Duke vs. Houston picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 142 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Houston vs. Duke, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Duke vs. Houston spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned nearly $1,900 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitcher Rankings: Top options are far from perfect, but can help you this week
Overall, this is a solid week for two-start pitchers. There are two men atop the list who have been red-hot of late, and a hurler behind them should also be productive. Lower on the list, there are a handful of risk-reward options. On the hitting side, the Reds and Braves will provide several excellent streamers.Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)JP Sears, Athletics, 18% (@TEX, @MIA)Small steps with his walk and strikeout rates have helped Sears to enjoy major improvements in his ratios (3.21 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) so far this season. I’m not fully buying into the improvement, as he still lacks a dominant arsenal and struggles to put batters away. And in the long run, the hitter-friendly nature of the Athletics’ temporary home park will catch up with someone like Sears, who allows plenty of fly balls. But I’m […]
Blue Jays takeaways: ‘Less is more’ for Chris Bassitt, the Aaron Judge plan and more
NEW YORK — Chris Bassitt has a deep bag and loves to dig through it for something new. The 36-year-old Blue Jays starting pitcher has thrown eight different pitches in his MLB career (not counting the many variations of each), he’s raised his arm angle, dropped it back down and moved all over the rubber.AdvertisementBassitt has plenty of ideas on how to perfect his craft — many experiments to try. But the righty’s 2025 success, with a 2.62 ERA through six starts, is the product of simplification.“He does have a lot of ideas,” manager John Schneider said. “I think having his buddy Max (Scherzer) here sparked some more ideas. But we’ve found with Chris that sometimes less is more, and I think that’s kind of where he is right now.”In Sunday’s 5-1 loss in the nightcap of a doubleheader, Bassitt […]
Blue Jays takeaways: ‘Less is more’ for Chris Bassitt, the Aaron Judge plan and more
NEW YORK — Chris Bassitt has a deep bag and loves to dig through it for something new. The 36-year-old Blue Jays starting pitcher has thrown eight different pitches in his MLB career (not counting the many variations of each), he’s raised his arm angle, dropped it back down and moved all over the rubber.AdvertisementBassitt has plenty of ideas on how to perfect his craft — many experiments to try. But the righty’s 2025 success, with a 2.62 ERA through six starts, is the product of simplification.“He does have a lot of ideas,” manager John Schneider said. “I think having his buddy Max (Scherzer) here sparked some more ideas. But we’ve found with Chris that sometimes less is more, and I think that’s kind of where he is right now.”In Sunday’s 5-1 loss in the nightcap of a doubleheader, Bassitt […]
LIV Golf Mexico City: Legion XIII has strong Round 3 to rally for the win
<!--> Some of the LIV Golf League's biggest names put on a show down the stretch in the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City, but it was Joaquin Niemann who ultimately claimed the individual title on Sunday at Club de Golf Chapultepec, while Legion XIII held on to win the team title.Torque GC captain Niemann started the round two shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau, but he charged up the leaderboard on Championship Sunday to finish at 16 under and claim his third victory in six events this season.Final Round Highlights at LIV Golf Mexico City | LIV on FOX --> Playing in the final group with DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, Niemann carded seven birdies and only a single bogey for a final-round, 6-under 65. The victory keeps him firmly in the lead for the season-long individual championship race, in […]
Paige Bueckers shares ‘wow’ differences between UConn and WNBA during her first Wings training camp
Getty Images Former UConn star Paige Bueckers has officially started training camp with the Dallas Wings, and it didn't take long for her to notice some of the differences between college basketball and the WNBA."Honestly, screens I got hit by. That would be the first, like, 'Wow. Okay, this is different,'" she said told reporters on Sunday. "And obviously, the floor is a little strange, you've got defensive three seconds in the lane, offensive three seconds in the lane. So that's a little bit different. And then the pace, and obviously the physicality of stuff they let go in the 'W.'" When she first arrived at UConn, Bueckers quickly showed her versatility on offense as well as her playmaking abilities. She had a historic freshman season and despite battling some injuries, she bounced back and also became a stronger defender […]
NBA Playoffs: Bucks’ Damian Lillard leaves Game 4 matchup with Pacers early with lower leg injury
Damian Lillard had to be helped off the court at Fiserv Forum after he went down with an apparent ankle injury on Sunday night.Lillard, just minutes into the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 4 matchup with the Indiana Pacers, stumbled while trying to grab a rebound at the top of the key. He immediately reached for his left ankle and foot after he successfully passed the ball away, but he remained down clearly in pain as play went the other way.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLillard remained down on the floor for quite some time, and was then helped off the court without putting any pressure on his left foot. He went straight back to the locker room, and the team then ruled him out before the start of the second quarter with what they called a lower leg injury.Further specifics of his injury are not yet […]
Related
Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitcher Rankings: Top options are far from perfect, but can help you this week
Overall, this is a solid week for two-start pitchers. There are two men atop the list who have been red-hot of late, and a hurler behind them should also be productive. Lower on the list, there are a handful of risk-reward options. On the hitting side, the Reds and Braves will provide several excellent streamers.Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)JP Sears, Athletics, 18% (@TEX, @MIA)Small steps with his walk and strikeout rates have helped Sears to enjoy major improvements in his ratios (3.21 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) so far this season. I’m not fully buying into the improvement, as he still lacks a dominant arsenal and struggles to put batters away. And in the long run, the hitter-friendly nature of the Athletics’ temporary home park will catch up with someone like Sears, who allows plenty of fly balls. But I’m […]
Blue Jays takeaways: ‘Less is more’ for Chris Bassitt, the Aaron Judge plan and more
NEW YORK — Chris Bassitt has a deep bag and loves to dig through it for something new. The 36-year-old Blue Jays starting pitcher has thrown eight different pitches in his MLB career (not counting the many variations of each), he’s raised his arm angle, dropped it back down and moved all over the rubber.AdvertisementBassitt has plenty of ideas on how to perfect his craft — many experiments to try. But the righty’s 2025 success, with a 2.62 ERA through six starts, is the product of simplification.“He does have a lot of ideas,” manager John Schneider said. “I think having his buddy Max (Scherzer) here sparked some more ideas. But we’ve found with Chris that sometimes less is more, and I think that’s kind of where he is right now.”In Sunday’s 5-1 loss in the nightcap of a doubleheader, Bassitt […]
Blue Jays takeaways: ‘Less is more’ for Chris Bassitt, the Aaron Judge plan and more
NEW YORK — Chris Bassitt has a deep bag and loves to dig through it for something new. The 36-year-old Blue Jays starting pitcher has thrown eight different pitches in his MLB career (not counting the many variations of each), he’s raised his arm angle, dropped it back down and moved all over the rubber.AdvertisementBassitt has plenty of ideas on how to perfect his craft — many experiments to try. But the righty’s 2025 success, with a 2.62 ERA through six starts, is the product of simplification.“He does have a lot of ideas,” manager John Schneider said. “I think having his buddy Max (Scherzer) here sparked some more ideas. But we’ve found with Chris that sometimes less is more, and I think that’s kind of where he is right now.”In Sunday’s 5-1 loss in the nightcap of a doubleheader, Bassitt […]
LIV Golf Mexico City: Legion XIII has strong Round 3 to rally for the win
<!--> Some of the LIV Golf League's biggest names put on a show down the stretch in the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City, but it was Joaquin Niemann who ultimately claimed the individual title on Sunday at Club de Golf Chapultepec, while Legion XIII held on to win the team title.Torque GC captain Niemann started the round two shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau, but he charged up the leaderboard on Championship Sunday to finish at 16 under and claim his third victory in six events this season.Final Round Highlights at LIV Golf Mexico City | LIV on FOX --> Playing in the final group with DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, Niemann carded seven birdies and only a single bogey for a final-round, 6-under 65. The victory keeps him firmly in the lead for the season-long individual championship race, in […]
Paige Bueckers shares ‘wow’ differences between UConn and WNBA during her first Wings training camp
Getty Images Former UConn star Paige Bueckers has officially started training camp with the Dallas Wings, and it didn't take long for her to notice some of the differences between college basketball and the WNBA."Honestly, screens I got hit by. That would be the first, like, 'Wow. Okay, this is different,'" she said told reporters on Sunday. "And obviously, the floor is a little strange, you've got defensive three seconds in the lane, offensive three seconds in the lane. So that's a little bit different. And then the pace, and obviously the physicality of stuff they let go in the 'W.'" When she first arrived at UConn, Bueckers quickly showed her versatility on offense as well as her playmaking abilities. She had a historic freshman season and despite battling some injuries, she bounced back and also became a stronger defender […]
NBA Playoffs: Bucks’ Damian Lillard leaves Game 4 matchup with Pacers early with apparent ankle injury
Damian Lillard had to be helped off the court at Fiserv Forum after he went down with an apparent ankle injury on Sunday night.Lillard, just minutes into the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 4 matchup with the Indiana Pacers, stumbled while trying to grab a rebound at the top of the key. He immediately reached for his left ankle and foot after he successfully passed the ball away, but he remained down clearly in pain as play went the other way.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLillard remained down on the floor for quite some time, and was then helped off the court without putting any pressure on his left foot. He went straight back to the locker room, and the team then ruled him out before the start of the second quarter with what they called a lower leg injury.Further specifics of his injury are not yet […]
Be the first to leave a comment