Jon Scheyer has the distinct March Madness lines advantage of being a Duke alumnus and a former player under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Previously, before becoming head coach, he was a top assistant under Coach K, including associate head coach from 2018 until taking over as the head coach. Now comes the first Final Four for Duke since Coach K’s final season in 2022. Jon Scheyer has proven to be the right man at the right time to lead the Duke Blue Devils. But Houston presents a powerful opposition.
2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four Saturday Duke Blue Devils vs. Houston Cougars
| Date and Time: | Saturday, April 5, 2025, 8:49 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX |
| TV Coverage: | CBS |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | +5 -110 | 136 -102 | +215 |  |
| Duke | -5 -110 | 136 -118 | -255 | |
| ||||
Duke Blue Devils Team Overview
Lately, Duke has covered four of its previous five games and has gone over the online betting total in three of its last four outings. First among Duke scorers is Cooper Flagg, with 18.9 points per game.
Overall, the Duke Blue Devils are 34-3 straight up, 21-10 against the spread, and 16-15 over/under the total. Duke has national metrics of 15th for scoring offense, 18th for field goal percentage, 24th for 3-point field goal percentage, 16th for free throw percentage, and 22nd for offensive rebounding. Defensively, Duke is 7th for scoring defense, 7th for field goal percentage permitted, 38th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 12th for defensive rebounding.
Now in his third season, Scheyer is putting his stamp on the program after taking over for the legendary Mike Krzyzewski. There is an adage about never wanting to be the man that replaced “The Man,” but Scheyer is proving up to the task.
Kon Knueppel had a game-high 21 points with five assists, Cooper Flagg added 16 points and nine rebounds, and No. 1 seed Duke defeated No. 2 Alabama 85-65 to win the NCAA Tournament East Region final on Saturday night.
Proctor scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and Khaman Maluach had 14 points, nine rebounds, and five dunks for the Blue Devils. They outshot the Crimson Tide 53.6 percent to 35.4 percent from the field while bottling up an Alabama team that made an NCAA Tournament record 25 3-pointers in the Sweet 16.
Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 selection in this June’s NBA draft, made just 6 of 16 shots from the floor but was buoyed by Knueppel and Maluach, also projected lottery picks.
Houston Cougars Team Overview
Late on, Houston has covered four of its previous six games and has gone under the NCAA Tournament odds total in five of its last six outings. First among Houston scorers is LJ Cryer, with 15.7 points per game.
Overall, the Houston Cougars are 32-4 straight up, 16-14-1 against the spread, and 14-17 over/under the total. Houston has national metrics of 156th for scoring offense, 123rd for field goal percentage, 2nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 110th for free throw percentage, and 123rd for offensive rebounding. Defensively, Houston is 1st for scoring defense, 4th for field goal percentage permitted, 25th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 7th for defensive rebounding.
LJ Cryer delivered 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists as No. 1 seed Houston dominated early. Hence, the Cougars pulled away late for a 69-50 victory over No. 2 Tennessee.
The Cougars claimed their first Final Four berth since 2021. UH throttled the Vols with the nation’s best defense. To illuminate, Houston’s man-to-man harassed Tennessee into missing its first 14 3-point attempts and 22 of its first 27 shots overall.
Duke vs. Houston SBG Free Picks
In this situation, Houston’s suffocating defense should be the difference.
Duke vs. Houston SBG Best Bet: Houston Cougars.