The stage is set for the 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four with two marquee matchups on Saturday. All four No. 1 seeds are the last four men’s college basketball teams remaining in March Madness. Both Final Four matchups will be must-see TV and worth betting on. It’s time to dive into one of Saturday’s games with our Duke vs. Houston predictions below. 

No. 1 seed Duke takes on No. 1 seed Houston in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament with a national championship berth on the line. Let’s break down the top stats, players, storylines, and betting odds to know before the game tips off. Check out our Duke vs. Houston picks. 

 

 

 

Duke vs. Houston Predictions for March Madness Final Four, 4/5

Saturday’s March Madness Final Four game between Duke and Houston sets up to be an entertaining and hard-fought matchup. The two No. 1 seeds have both been two of college basketball’s best teams all season long. The Blue Devils and Cougars had realistic national title hopes back in November and are still alive for a Final Four showdown. 

Let’s now get into the top Duke vs. Houston predictions for today’s NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup.

 

 

 

Duke Blue Devils: National Title Favorites Are Rolling

Duke began the NCAA Tournament as the betting favorite to win the national championship. Even with every No. 1 seed still alive, the Blue Devils enter the Final Four as the title favorites as well. 

Duke’s path to the Final Four has been pretty smooth. It won by 44 and 23 points in the first two rounds over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s and No. 9 seed Baylor, respectively. The Blue Devils put up 100 points in their Sweet 16 victory over No. 4 seed Arizona. Then, it was a comfortable 20-point win last weekend over No. 2 seed Alabama in the Elite 8. 

The Blue Devils are 35-3 on the season with just one loss since Thanksgiving and a current 15-game winning streak. They’re regularly dominating opponents with a stacked roster featuring AP Player of the Year Cooper Flagg and multiple other projected NBA Draft picks. 

Believe it or not, this is Duke’s first Final Four appearance since it won the title in 2015. As for Jon Scheyer, he’s also been here before despite this being his first national semifinal as the head coach. Scheyer, of course, won it all with the Blue Devils as a player back in 2010. 

 

 

 

Houston Cougars: Blowout Victory Over Tennessee in Elite 8

Houston’s Elite 8 matchup against No. 2 seed Tennessee was expected to be a coin-flip game. Well, the Cougars left no doubt with a wire-to-wire 19-point victory to punch their ticket to the Final Four. They held the Vols to just 15 points in the first half and were in control the whole time. 

Houston has now won 17 straight games for the nation’s longest winning streak. The Cougars have also lost just once since the beginning of December and have only one loss in regulation this entire season. Kelvin Sampson’s squad has impressively avoided upset attempts by both Gonzaga and Purdue in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, respectively.

This is now the second Final Four appearance for Houston in the past five years. In 2021, the Cougs lost in this spot to eventual champion Baylor. It’s also the third Final Four appearance for Sampson, who took Oklahoma this far back in 2002. 

 

 

 

How To Watch Final Four of March Madness 2025

Saturday’s March Madness Final Four game between Duke and Houston is scheduled to tip off at 8:49 pm ET. You can watch it on CBS and stream it on the March Madness Live app. 

The Duke vs. Houston matchup is one of two NCAA Tournament games on Saturday. Here’s the upcoming schedule with TV listings for tonight’s Final Four action: 

  • 6:09 pm ET – No. 1 Florida vs. No. 1 Auburn – CBS
  • 8:49 pm ET – No. 1 Duke vs. No. 1 Houston – CBS

Let’s now dive into Duke vs. Houston picks, odds, and predictions.

 

 

 

Duke vs. Houston Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

Before we get to our Duke vs. Houston predictions, check out the betting lines on FanDuel Sportsbook. As of this writing, here are the Duke vs. Houston odds for tonight’s March Madness Final Four showdown: 

  • Duke Blue Devils (-265) vs. Houston Cougars (+210)
    • Spread: Duke -5.5 (-105) vs. Houston +5.5 (-115)
    • Game Total: Over 136.5 (-110) vs. Under 136.5 (-110)

 

 

 

Duke vs. Houston Picks: Under 136.5 Total Points (-110 on FanDuel Sportbook)

This Final Four matchup between Duke and Houston is bound to be a high-level battle. These are the top two teams in the country according to advanced ratings systems like KenPom, BartTorvik, EvanMiya, and Haslametrics. Both the Blue Devils and Cougars are coming off of blowout wins in the Elite 8 as well. 

There are legitimate arguments and paths to either team winning outright and/or covering the spread. Duke can easily win by double-digits to comfortably cover as the favorite. Yet, Houston is too respectable as an underdog to lay those points. Let’s stay away from the spread and instead target the total. 

Houston has to rely on its elite defense and slow this game down to have a chance. The Cougars lead the country in opposing points per game (58.3), opposing shooting percentage (38.2%), and defensive efficiency. They defend the three well, shut down scoring in the paint, and prevent fast-break points all at high levels. The Cougs also rank 360th nationally in tempo.

Though Duke’s offense is the best in the sport, it also hasn’t faced a defense as elite as Houston’s in a while. The Blue Devils benefited from facing softer defenses in the ACC. Their last two opponents (Arizona and Alabama) simply don’t have anywhere near the same defensive fortitude as Houston either. Meanwhile, the Cougars just held Tennessee and Purdue to 50 and 60 points, respectively, in their past two matchups. 

Meanwhile, Duke has a top-tier defense itself to keep Houston in check. The Blue Devils are allowing just 62.6 PPG (7th in Division I) and a 38.5% opposing field-goal percentage (4th) while ranking fifth in defensive efficiency. They have length, size, and pro-level athleticism at every position.

Houston has a strong offense as well, but Duke can limit its scoring. The Cougs rank second nationally in three-point shooting (39.7%). However, the offense can go stagnant at times when those deep shots aren’t falling. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, just held the mighty Alabama offense to 25% three-point shooting and 65 points last game. 

This game sets up to be a defensive battle. Houston will look to slow the pace and limit the number of total possessions to avoid a big deficit. The Cougs are 32-0 this year when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer, but just 2-4 when they don’t. Duke doesn’t play all that fast either, ranking 269th in overall pace and 360th in defensive tempo. 

For what it’s worth, Duke and Houston played to a 54-51 final in the Sweet 16 last year. We have different teams and players involved, but the same level of low-scoring intensity should be expected. 

Take the Under 136.5 Total Points (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook) for our Duke vs. Houston predictions. It’s worth noting that KenPom projects 134 points in this game while BartTorvik predicts 129 combined points. 

 

 

 

Duke vs. Houston Injury Report & Starting Lineups

Duke Blue Devils Injury Report

  • None

Duke Blue Devils Expected Starters

  • Cooper Flagg (F) – 18.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG
  • Kon Knueppel (G) – 14.4 PPG, 2.8 APG
  • Tyrese Proctor (G) – 12.5 PPG, 2.2 APG
  • Sion James (G) – 8.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG
  • Khaman Maluach (F) – 8.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG

Houston Cougars Injury Report

  • Ramon Walker (G) – Out

Houston Cougars Expected Starters

  • LJ Cryer (G) – 15.4 PPG, 2.0 APG
  • Emanuel Sharp (G) – 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG
  • Milos Uzan (G) – 11.6 PPG, 4.4 APG
  • J’Wan Roberts (F) – 10.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG
  • Joseph Tugler (F) – 5.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG

 

 

 

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