Houston vs Duke Prediction and Sweet 16 March Madness Picks

The Houston Cougars and Duke Blue Devils will face off in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Basketball Tournament. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Houston survived an overtime scare from Texas A&M, needing to empty the bench due to foul trouble in order to hold on for a 100-95 win. Duke took care of business against 12-seed James Madison, cruising from start to finish in a 93-55 victory. Considering how well the Blue Devils looked during the first weekend of March Madness, it will be difficult to make a Houston vs Duke prediction.

Below, we will preview this Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament college basketball game, providing data, trends and analysis. Which school will win and keep their hopes of winning the championship trophy alive?

Houston vs Duke Prediction and Sweet 16 March Madness Picks

2024 NCAA Tournament – Sweet 16
No. 1 Houston Cougars (32-4) vs. No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (26-8)
Date: Friday, March 29, 2024
Time: 9:39 PM EST
Venue: American Airlines Center — Dallas, TX
Coverage: CBS

Houston vs Duke March Madness Odds

All college basketball betting odds for Houston vs Duke can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.

Moneyline: HOU: (-195) | DUKE: (+165)
Point Spread: HOU: -4 (-110) | DUKE: +4 (-110)
Total: 134.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

KenPom Rankings | Bracketology

KenPom Rankings are from KenPom.com

Team	Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AdjT
Houston	2	119.6 (14)	88 (2)	63.7 (346)
Duke	6	122.6 (5)	95.6 (20)	66.6 (245)

Houston vs Duke College Basketball Trends

Houston is 14-0 in non-conference college basketball games this season.
Duke is 11-2 in non-conference college basketball games this season.
The UNDER is 20-16 in Houston games this year.
Duke is 10-3 against the spread in their last 11 games.
Houston is seeking their third Elite Eight in four years.
The UNDER is 10-3 in Duke’s last 13 games.

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Houston vs Duke Prediction | March Madness Sweet 16 Picks

This is a fascinating Sweet 16 game between two teams that are opposites in many ways. Houston plays with a relentless motor on both ends that results in dominating the offensive glass and an elite defense. The Cougars are allowing just 57.7 points per game this season and are holding opponents to 37.8% from the field, ranking first in both categories nationally. A big reason for those numbers is their aggressive style of defense that forces an abundance of turnovers and low-percentage shots. Fortunately for Duke, they have a trio of guards that are not only high-level playmakers but also protect the ball. Offensively for Houston, they rely heavily on guard Jamal Shead, one of the top two-way playmakers in the nation, and sharpshooters LJ Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp.

After losing their first game in the ACC Tournament to NC State, many people wrote this Duke team off. There were questions about their toughness and how their roster fit together. Then the Blue Devils dominated in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament and are now a trendy Final Four pick out of the South Region. Did they find a new gear of toughness and grit, or was last weekend just the result of playing lower-seeded teams? That’s what makes this matchup so fascinating, as playing against Houston will test your toughness and physicality. Duke will need to be strong with the ball, finish through contact, and be aggressive on the glass.

Last season, Houston lost to a guard-heavy Miami team in the Sweet 16 because they could not keep up with the Hurricanes’ offensive firepower. I think this game will be a similar story. Tyrese Proctor, Jeremy Roach, and Jared McCain will be able to handle the Cougars’ pressure while generating looks for themselves and teammates. On the other end, it will be a five-man effort to keep Houston from scoring inside and dominating on the offensive glass. For our Sweet 16 Houston vs Duke prediction, we are picking the Duke Blue Devils to win and move on in the NCAA Tournament.

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