The ACC was down bad this year and that's where Duke accumulated many of its numbers. Sure, the Blue Devils had non-conference wins, including against Auburn and Arizona, but wasn’t the Big 12 a lot better than the ACC this year? And Houston ripped through it, barring an OT loss to Texas Tech, which really should be playing this weekend.

Final Four picks, predictions, odds for Duke Blue Devils vs Houston Cougars NCAA Tournament March Madness game Saturday, April 5, 2025. Who wins game?

What time is Houston vs Duke NCAA Tournament game? What channel is it on? How to watch Cougars vs Blue Devils March Madness Final Four game Saturday.

The Houston Cougars like mixing it up — and turning things ugly. Their hard-nosed defense has been a staple throughout coach Kelvin Sampson's 11-year tenure, and it served them well again in Indianapolis against two teams with much larger fan bases,

The No. 1 Cougars beat the No. 2 Volunteers, 69-50, in the Elite Eight on Sunday after amassing a 34-15 halftime lead. Tennessee’s fourth basket of the game came on its 23rd shot attempt. And that shot by Jordan Gainey simply cut a 21-point lead into a 29-10 advantage for Houston with 3:37 to play before the break.

Tennessee veterans Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack were part of the Volunteers team that lost to Purdue in the Elite Eight last year. They could have left to explore their professional basketball opportunities, but decided to return to Tennessee for another opportunity like the one they have today.

Houston jumped to a big lead by limiting Tennessee, and the Cougars cruised past the Volunteers to advance to their Final Four since 2021.

What you need to know about the Houston Cougars' Final Four semifinal against Duke, a rematch of last year's Sweet 16.

Madness continues Sunday with four more Elite Eight games in the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. The women started things off, with defending champion South Carolina outlasting Duke to return to the Final Four,