How To Bet On Duke vs Houston In The Final Four

• Duke currently sits as 5-point favorites over Houston, the first time the Cougars have been underdogs since January
• Duke has gone 5-2 against ranked opponents, while Houston holds a record of 8-3 against ranked teams

SAN ANTONIO – The Duke Blue Devils take on the Houston Cougars on Saturday night in a Final Four that features four one-seeds for the first time since 2008 and just the second time in the history of the tournament.

Houston vs Duke Game Odds

Duke has been far and away the most dominant team in the field through four games, winning three of their four tournament matchups by 20 points or more. Legal sports betting sites currently have them as 5-point favorites over Houston.

Led by freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, the Blue Devils are riding a 15-game win streak. Flagg has averaged 19.5 points, 5 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and almost 2 blocks per game in the tournament.

After defeating Arizona by seven in their closest game thus far, the Blue Devils went on to obliterate two seed Alabama by 20 points. They held the Crimson Tide to just 65 points, their second lowest total of the entire season.

Duke has been equally dominant on both sides of the ball all season long, ranking top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency for the majority of the season.

Houston has faced one of the more difficult paths out of the top seeded teams. According to KenPom, the Cougars have faced three of the top 15 most efficient teams in the country in Gonzaga (8th), Purdue (15th), and Tennessee (5th).

This should bode well for Houston, especially considering that their biggest win against any of those three opponents came in their most recent game against Tennessee, who they beat by 19 points. The Cougars may not be favored, but they are battle tested.

LJ Cryer has been the Cougars’ best player all season long and that has not changed in March, as Cryer has averaged 16.8 points and 4 assists per game in the tournament. His efficiency has been subpar, shooting just 37% from the field on 14 field goal attempts per game, but he has remained an elite three point shooter, sitting at a 39% clip on over eight attempts per game.

Best Bets

Houston is currently riding a 17 game win streak and have lost just four games all season. In those games, they have lost by margins of one, three, and five points (twice).

Additionally, both Duke and Houston play at an exceptionally slow pace, with Duke ranking 269th in tempo, while Houston ranks 360th, bottom five in the country. This game should be a defensive battle, and Houston has built a reputation of grinding out big games such as this one.

Take Houston +5 (-105) with confidence at legal college basketball sportsbooks. Even if they aren’t able to claw out a victory, they should keep it close right down to the end.

Take the under on 137 total points as well (-115). Possessions will be at a premium in this game, so expect to see a lot of late shot clock field goals in a low scoring affair.

News tags: Alabama Crimson Tide | Arizona Wildcats | College Basketball | Cooper Flagg | Duke Blue Devils | Gonzaga Bulldogs | Houston Cougars | LJ Cryer | March Madness | Purdue Boilermakers | Tennessee Volunteers