The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils attempt to end a dubious streak when they meet the top-seeded Houston Cougars in the South Region Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday. Duke (26-8), which rolled past Vermont and James Madison in its first two March Madness games, has lost six straight meetings with higher-seeded teams in "The Big Dance." Houston (32-4) is looking to match the single-season program record for victories after defeating Longwood and Texas A&M. The Cougars set the school mark of 33 wins in 2018-19 and tied it last season.
Tipoff from American Airlines Center in Dallas is set for 9:39 p.m. ET. The Cougars are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Houston vs. Duke odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 134.5. Before making any Duke vs. Houston picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Zack Cimini.
A Las Vegas handicapper who's never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Cimini entered the Sweet 16 as SportsLine's most profitable college basketball expert. He's 83-58-2 on his last 143 college basketball picks, returning $1,880 for $100 players. Anyone following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Cimini has his sights on Duke vs. Houston and just locked in his Sweet 16 predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Houston vs. Duke:
- Duke vs. Houston spread: Cougars -4.5
- Duke vs. Houston over/under: 134.5 points
- Duke vs. Houston money line: Cougars -203, Blue Devils +165
- HOU: The Cougars are 6-12 against the spread in their last 18 games as favorites on the road or at neutral sites
- DUKE: The Blue Devils are 20-13-1 ATS this season
- Duke vs. Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Houston can cover
The Cougars have recorded at least 32 victories in four of their last six seasons and each of the past three, tying them for the third-longest such streak during the NCAA Tournament era. They have amassed 125 wins over their last four campaigns, the most in the nation in that span and most in a four-year stretch in program history. Houston ranks first in the country in points allowed (57.7) and opponents' field-goal percentage (37.I 8%), and it looks to become the first team to lead Division I in both categories since Princeton in 1976-77.
Emanuel Sharp has been the Cougars' top scorer during March Madness with 43 points. The sophomore guard scored 13 in the first-round victory against Longwood and made seven shots from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 30 versus Texas A&M last Sunday, tying the program record for most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game set in 2019 by Corey Davis Jr. Senior guard L.J. Cryer, who is first on Houston with an average of 15.5 points, shared the team lead with 17 in the opening-round win and poured in 20 in the second-round overtime triumph over the Aggies. See which team to pick here.
Why Duke can cover
The Blue Devils are 9-7 all-time against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and are looking to snap a tie with North Carolina for most wins in such matchups. Their 38-point triumph over James Madison in the second round was the third-largest in program history in the Round of 32 or later during March Madness. Guard Jared McCain was 10-for-15 overall and 8-for-11 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 30 points.
McCain set the school record for most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game and joined Zion Williamson as the only freshmen ever to reach the 30-point plateau in "The Big Dance" for the Blue Devils. Sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor recorded 18 points and five assists against James Madison, while senior guard Jeremy Roach added 15 and seven, respectively. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski bounced back from a disappointing three-point performance versus Vermont in the opening round by scoring 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while collecting five rebounds and four assists. See which team to pick here.
How to make Houston vs. Duke picks
Cimini has analyzed Houston vs. Duke from every angle, and while we can tell you he's leaning Under the point total, he also has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Houston vs. Duke, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Duke vs. Houston spread hits hard, all from the expert who is 83-58 on his college basketball picks, and find out.
