Houston Cougars vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 04/05/2025

Game Time: 8:49 pm ET, Saturday, April 5, 2025

Venue:  Alamodome, San Antonio, TX 

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston +5.5, Duke -5.5; Over/Under:  136.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston +5.5, Duke -5.5; Over/Under:  136.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston +5.5, Duke -5.5; Over/Under:  136.5 points

Houston Cougars:  34-4 (19-1) (1st place, Big 12)

Duke Blue Devils:  35-3 (19-1) (1st place, ACC)

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Houston Cougars:  5-0  last 5

Duke Blue Devils:  5-0  last 5

Houston is entering this game with a 34-4 record overall, a 19-1 record in conference games, and they are 8-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Tennessee Volunteers in their last game. LJ Cryer led the team in points in that game with 17 while Emanuel Sharp was next on the team with 16. LJ Cryer and Mylik Wilson each led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Joseph Tugler led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 42.4% from the field, 36% from 3-point range, and 100% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 58.3 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 20-17-1 this season and their O/U record is 15-22-1.

Duke is entering this game with a 35-3 record overall, a 19-1 conference record, and they are 8-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Alabama Crimson Tide in their last game. Kon Knueppel led the team in points in that game with 21 while Tyrese Proctor was next on the team with 17. Kon Knueppel led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Khaman Maluach and Cooper Flagg each led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 53.6% from the field, 46.2% from 3-point range, and 86.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.6 PPG against them. Duke has an ATS record of 25-13 this season and their O/U record is 20-18.

The current betting odds have Duke listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Duke has looked great in their games this season with their 35-3 record overall and their 19-1 conference record which had them right at the top of the ACC. They have also looked great in their neutral site games as they are 8-2 in those games this season. Meanwhile, Houston has also looked really good in their games this season with their 34-4 record overall and their 19-1 conference record which had them right at the top of the Big 12. They have also looked good in neutral site games this year with their 8-3 record in those. These teams are very similar in the sense that both teams rolled through their conferences all season and both also won their conference tournaments. Houston didn't have a great start to the season though as they did lose some big games to better teams while Duke has been ranked like one of the best teams in the nation all year. Both teams are coming off huge double digit wins in their last games, but Houston did have a close call in the Sweet 16 with Purdue and they haven't looked like Duke in this tournament. Duke really hasn't played in a close game all tournament and that has been a common theme for them throughout the season as they rolled over a majority of their opponents all year. Houston hangs their hat on their great defense which really showed up against Tennessee, but Duke is just as good on defense and has the better shooters to win this game. Houston has had a great year, but they haven't been able to get over the hump the last few years, and this game will be no different as they run into a juggernaut here. The best way to place a bet here is on Duke to cover the spread in this game. 

Houston Duke Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, April 5, 2025 (8:49 pm ET start time) is Duke 77 Houston 62.

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Houston Cougars: 1-3 ATS against ACC opponents. 2-5 ATS on the road or at a neutral site in non-conference games. 23-14 UNDER in all games. 17-5 UNDER when the total is 130 to 139.5. 17-9 UNDER versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 

Duke Blue Devils: 25-13 ATS in all games. 24-13 ATS as a favorite 17-6 ATS after a win by 15 points or more. 11-3 ATS versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 10-4 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 

Houston Cougars:  R. Walker (G) Out - Hand. J. McFarland (C) Out - Leg.

Duke Blue Devils:  None.

“There's probably 16,000 Tennessee fans here. That's awesome for Tennessee — jump on the interstate and get here. That's what we'll do next week — jump on the interstate and head down to San Antonio.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s win against Tennessee in the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament. 

“To hold them to 65 points is incredible. We watched them play the other night. They scored 113 and made 25 3s. The biggest thing for us was not taking the bait of getting so spread out.” - Jon Scheyer after his team’s win against Alabama in the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament. 

L. Cryer 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Tugler 

M. Uzan

C. Flagg 

S. James 

K. Knueppel 

K. Maluach 

T. Proctor

PPG: L. Cryer (15.6)

APG: M. Uzan (4.4)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (6.3)

PPG: C. Flagg (18.9)

APG: C. Flagg (4.1)

Reb/G: C. Flagg (7.5)

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (11th season)

Duke Blue Devils: Jon Scheyer (3rd season)