Duke Blue Devils vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/29/2024

Game Time: 9:39 pm ET, Friday, March 29, 2024

Venue:  American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Duke +4, Houston -4; Over/Under:  134.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Duke +4, Houston -4; Over/Under:  134.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Duke +3.5, Houston -3.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

Duke Blue Devils:  26-8 (15-5) (2nd place, ACC)

Houston Cougars:  32-4 (15-3) (1st place, Big 12)

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Duke Blue Devils:  3-2  last 5

Houston Cougars:  4-1  last 5

Duke is entering this game with a 26-8 record overall, a 15-5 record in conference games, and they are 4-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the James Madison Dukes in their last game. Jared McCain led the team in points per game in that game with 30 while Tyrese Proctor was next on the team with 18. Jeremy Roach led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Sean Stewart and Ryan Young each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 52.4% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 72.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 79.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.5 PPG against them. Duke has an ATS record of 20-13-1 this season and their O/U record is 13-21.

Houston is entering this game with a 32-4 record overall, a 15-3 conference record, and they are 8-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Texas A&M Aggies in their last game. Emanuel Sharp led the team in points in that game with 30 while Jamal Shead was next on the team with 21. Jamal Shead led the team in assists with 10 in that game while J'wan Roberts led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 51.5% from the field, 32.4% from 3-point range, and 70% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 57.7 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 17-17-2 this season and their O/U record is 16-20.

The current betting odds have Houston listed as a 4 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked really good in their games this season with their 32-4 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as one of the best in the nation. They have looked great in the Big 12 this year with their 15-3 conference record which had them at the top of the conference in the regular season. They did fail to win their conference tournament but that is their only loss at a neutral site all year since they are 8-1 in those games. Meanwhile, Duke has also looked really good in their games this season with their 26-8 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country. They have looked really good in the ACC this year with their 15-5 conference record which had them right near the top of the conference in the regular season, but they still weren't the best team in the ACC during the regular season and they didn't win their conference tournament either. They have looked good in their neutral site games with their 4-1 record in those, but they have also struggled against some good teams this season as they do have 2 losses against North Carolina who was the best team in their conference. Now they have to take on one of the best teams in the country that has only lost 4 games all season and they also have one of the best defenses in the country too. Houston will be too much for Duke to handle here. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game. 

Duke Houston Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 29, 2024 (9:39 pm ET start time) is Houston 77 Duke 68.

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Duke Blue Devils: 8-18 ATS after 2 straight wins by 10 points or more. 15-26 ATS after scoring 80 points or more. 9-4 UNDER after one or more consecutive overs. 11-5 UNDER after 5 straight games forcing the opponent to commit 14 or less turnovers. 

Houston Cougars: 21-11 ATS off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. 17-9 ATS in all tournament games. 28-16 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 14-5 UNDER after a combined score of 175 points or more. 27-8 UNDER after playing a game where both teams score 80 points or more.

Duke Blue Devils:  J. Blakes (G) Ques Fri - Undisclosed. J. Roach (G) Ques Fri - Finger. C. Foster (G) out for season - Foot. C. Reeves (C) out for season - Ankle. J. Schutt (G) out for season - Redshirt.

Houston Cougars:  J. Tugler (F) out for season - Foot. R. Walker Jr. (G) out for season - Knee. T. Arceneaux (G) out for season - Achilles.

“None of us forgot about what happened in Tennessee in the second round. I think we learned our lesson last year.” - Kyle Filipowski after their win against JMU in their last game in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

“We're very fortunate tonight to win. Texas A&M could’ve won that game. But only one team can advance. I've learned not to autopsy wins at this time of the year. So we move on." - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s win against Texas A&M in their last game in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

K. Filipowski 

J. McCain 

M. Mitchell 

T. Proctor 

J. Roach

L. Cryer 

J. Francis 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Shead

PPG: K. Filipowski (16.7)

APG: T. Proctor (3.7)

Reb/G: K. Filipowski (8)

PPG: L. Cryer (15.7)

APG: J. Shead (6.2)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (7)

Coaches:

Duke Blue Devils: Jon Scheyer (2nd season)

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (10th season)