Duke vs Houston, Sweet 16, Preview & Best Bets: Can Cougars Roll Past Devils?
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Update: Wed Mar 27, 2024, 3:24 pm ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
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The South Regional Semifinal featuring the Houston Cougars and Duke Blue Devils tips off Friday night!
Duke handled both #13 Vermont and #12 James Madison, but now they face the number 2 overall team in the country, and the 1 seed in the South!
Houston had a little bit of trouble against Texas A&M in the Round of 32, but can they bounce back in Dallas?
Let's take a look at our best bets for this matchup!
#4 Duke vs #1 Houston Game Information
Matchup Information – #4 Duke vs #1 Houston
- Venue & Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
- Date: Friday, March 29th, 2024
- Tip Off: 9:39pm Eastern
- Broadcast: CBS
Betting Odds
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Spread
- Duke +4 (-110)
- Houston -4 (-110)
Moneyline
- Duke +160
- Houston -185
Total
- Over 134 (-110)
- Under 134 (-110)
Will Duke Conquer Cougar's Defense?
Although Houston is the number 2 overall team in the country, most advanced analytics actually have them above UCONN. Duke is in for quite the task, considering they beat two double digit seeds to reach the Sweet 16.
Duke's offense is great and they have plenty of shooters, but they are playing the number 1 defense in the nation. The Cougars play incredibly slow, ranking 345th in pace, and love to disrupt their opponent on offense. They are 1st overall defensively, 2nd in eFG Defense, and 3rd in TO%.
Plus they have the offensive power to compete as well. They are 13th overall offensively, take great care of the ball, and are Top 10 in offensive rebounding as well. Houston is my pick to win the national championship, and I'll be doubling down on them in this game.
Ultimately, I think Houston rolls in this game.
The Pick: Houston -4 (-110) Bovada
The ACC is an extremely top heavy league, especially compared to the Big 12, where the 9th and 10th teams in the conference were fighting for bubble spots. Duke simply has not had to play the level of competition day in and day out like these Cougars have seen.
They are more battle tested, have a much better defense, and can keep up offensively. Duke's defense is 23rd, so they are still plenty good, but I fear the Cougars have more stars to distribute the scoring load.
Houston's guards are superior to the Blue Devils back court, and I don't see Kyle Filipowski having a huge impact on this game specifically. I think this game is won with the guards, and I trust the Cougars to get that done.
With a three headed monster of Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, and Emanuel Sharp, that trio of guards will be very tough to stop.
Give me the Cougars to roll into the Elite Eight.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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