NCAAB: #4 Duke vs #1 Houston Odds, and Picks (Mar 29)

• Duke fully dominated James Madison in the 2nd round, winning 93-55 to advance.
• Houston survived a late surged by Texas A&M, defeating them 100-95 in overtime.
• This will be the very first meeting between these two teams in their program histories.

The NCAA Tournament has reached the Sweet 16! Let’s take a look at this matchup between the Duke Blue Devils and the Houston Cougars. Duke looks capable of a deep run, but will first need to overcome a defensively talented team in Houston.

How to Watch

• CBS

Preview

Duke drew a 12 and 13 seed in the first two rounds, never really getting a chance to showcase their full ability. Nonetheless, the Blue Devils more than handled the opponents in front of them, winning those games by an average score of 79-51. They’ve been one of the most impressive defensive teams in the tournament, led by C Kyle Flipowski. Duke will put both their defense and their offense to the test in this matchup against Houston, who enters the game ranked 2nd in the NCAA in defensive efficiency.

Houston spent much of their 2nd-round game looking like they were going to coast to another easy victory. However, the Cougars eased up a little too quickly, allowing Texas A&M to erase their 11-point lead with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. Fortunately, they managed to overcome the Aggies in overtime, avoiding a catastrophic collapse. Houston needs to bounce back from that result defensively, drawing a Duke team that is equally prone to low-scoring finishes as they are.

Prediction

This is likely to be a low-scoring game between two teams with stout defenses. That means that factors such as turnovers and missed free throws will likely determine the outcome of this game. Both of these teams rank in the top-20 on offense and defense, and the winner may well be favored in their Elite 8 game over the weekend. I see this game staying pretty close from wire-to-wire. Ultimately, I see Houston’s defense wearing the Blue Devils down, and aiding them to victory.

NCAAB Picks:

• Houston 73, Duke 67 (HOU -4.5)