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The Houston Cougars meet the Duke Blue Devils at the American Airlines Centre on Friday night. The Sweet Sixteen showdowns see the No.1 seeds clashing with the No.4 seeds in the South Bracket. In our latest NCAAB betting picks, we tell you if the Cougars will make it to the Elite Eight as they look to win their first-ever championship.
- What: 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament – Sweet Sixteen
- Who: Houston Cougars (1) vs. Duke Blue Devils (4)
- Where: American Airlines Centre, Dallas, Texas
- When: Friday, March 29th, 2024
- Tip-Off: 8.39 pm ET
The Houston Cougars (32-4) have a real opportunity to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They are favored to beat the Duke Blue Devils (26-8), and if they win, they will face either No.2 Marquette or No.11 NC State in the Elite Eight.
Looking further ahead, with the Cougars on the opposite side of the draw to the UConn Huskies, the chance is there for Kelvin Sampson’s team to go all the way this year.
Betting to win the Men’s 2024 NCAA Basketball Championship
The best March Madness betting sites make the UConn Huskies their +215 favorite to retain the title they won in 2023, putting them clear of second favorites, the Houston Cougars, at +500.
The Purdue Boilermakers are next at +650, and Arizona is at +850. Another No.1 seed, North Carolina, is +1000, ahead of Tennessee and Marquette at +1400. The Iowa State Cyclones are on their own at +2000. The Fighting Illini, Gonzaga, Duke, and Creighton are +2500.
Making up the betting are the outsiders of Alabama at +4000, San Diego at +8000, and Clemson and NC State, who are both +10000.
South Bracket Winner Betting
In regional betting, the best college basketball betting sites make the Cougars their -105 favorite to win the South Region. Second in the betting is the No.2 ranked Marquette at +225, with No.3 Duke at +350 and No.11 NC State at +1400.
Houston Cougars vs. Duke Blue Devils Match Betting
Onto the betting to win the Sweet Sixteen showdown, and the bookmakers make the Houston Cougars favorite to win at -190 on the money line. The Duke Blue Devils are +165.
On the handicap spread, the Blue Devils are receiving a 4-point advantage. To win with the spread, Duke is -110. To win and cover the 4-point spread, Houston is -110.
The total points amount is 134, with over and under both at -110. More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAA basketball betting sites.
| Houston vs. Duke |  |  |  |
| Houston | -190 | -190 | -190 |
| Duke | +165 | +165 | +165 |
| Houston (-4) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Duke (+4) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 134 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 134 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Houston vs. Duke Blue Devils: Latest Form
The Houston Cougars finished the regular season in first place in the Big 12 with a conference record of 15-3. Overall, in the 2023/24 season, the Cougars boast an impressive 32-4 record, built on the cornerstone of a 17-0 home-court record.
In their run to the Sweet Sixteen, the Cougars defeated First Four winners Longwood by a massive 40-point margin (86-46) in the opening round.
Their second-round clash with No.9 Texas A&M was a real nail-biter.
The Aggies outscored the Cougars 17-5 in the final two minutes, with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Andersson Garcia sending the game into overtime.
The Cougars came through in the end, running out 100-95 winners, having survived a real scare.
(1) HOUSTON MOVES ON TO THE SWEET 16 😮💨
The Cougars win an overtime THRILLER, taking down (9) Texas A&M 100-95 to advance 💪 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Q0LIjT8nfu
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2024
The Duke Blue Devils finished second in the Atlantic Coast with a conference record of 15-5. They have an overall record of 26-8 this season and are on a winning streak of two. In more recent times, the Blue Devils are 7-3 in their last ten matches.
Getting to the Sweet Sixteen stage of the 2024 NCAA Tournament has been plain sailing so far for the Blue Devils.
In round one, Duke defeated No.13 Vermont 64-47. They then took on the James Madison Dukes in the second round, making light work of the Dukes, winning 93-55 against the conquerors of No.5 Wisconsin in the opening round.
The Cougars will represent a serious step up in class for the Blue Devils.
Houston Cougars vs. Duke Blue Devils: Our Picks
Starting with the total points line, the statistics tell us that Cougars matches have had more than 134 points on 14 occasions this season. As for games involving the Blue Devils, they’ve seen over 134 points scored on a mammoth 28 occasions this season.
The two schools’ combined averages are 153.9 points per game. It will be a more defensive-dominated game with the Cougars involved. But even given that, we have to go for over 134 for our pick.
Onto the match-winner betting, and was the win against the Aggies the defining moment of the postseason for the Cougars? Most teams that go on to win have to survive one scare, and Kelvin Sampson’s team certainly had that against Texas A&M.
We think it will have woken the Cougars up, and with the Blue Devils not having faced anybody of this quality so far in the NCAA Tournament, our betting pick is for Houston to win and cover the spread.
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