The best player in college basketball will take on the country’s best defense on Saturday night.
Cooper Flagg and Duke are 5.5-point favorites over Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars in what should be a battle of strength vs. strength.
The Blue Devils come into Saturday as the No. 1 offensive team in the country according to KenPom, BartTorvik, and just about everybody else, but they’ll be taking on the No. 1 defense by just about every metric.
Can Houston put an end to a dream season for Flagg and the Blue Devils?
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Houston vs. Duke betting preview
The Blue Devils have barely put a foot wrong this season, and they’ve been terrific through the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Duke has won three of its four contests in the tourney by at least 20 points and dropped 100 on Arizona in its only close game.
The Blue Devils are averaging 92 points per game in the Big Dance.

Duke is a juggernaut, but so is Houston.
Not only have the Cougars only lost one game this season in regulation (three of Houston’s four losses came in overtime), but they have not allowed a single opponent to eclipse the 90-point mark in 2024-25.
In fact, the only three teams that scored 80 points on the Cougars this season needed overtime to get there.
Houston vs. Duke pick
The Blue Devils are going to get plenty of betting support on Saturday night.
The Blue Devils are always a public darling, but they’re also the favorites to win the tournament, and they’ve covered the spread in four of their last five games and have a 25-13 ATS record this season.
Betting on College Basketball?
That may sound ominous for bettors looking to back Houston, but it’s good news because this number could continue to grow.
Houston’s defense should keep it in this game, and if the Cougars can turn this into an arm wrestle, they have every chance of pulling the upset.
The Pick: Houston +5 or better
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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