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Teams with long winning streaks face off when the Houston Cougars meet the Duke Blue Devils in a 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup on Saturday night. Houston advanced with a 69-50 win over Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday, while Duke downed Alabama 85-65 on Saturday. The Cougars (34-4), who have won 17 in a row, are seeking their first national championship and are making their seventh Final Four appearance. The Blue Devils (35-3), who have won 15 consecutive games, are seeking their sixth national title and are making their 18th Final Four.

Tipoff from the Alamodome in San Antonio is set for 8:49 p.m. ET on CBS. In their last meeting, Duke defeated Houston 54-51 in the 2024 Sweet 16 in Dallas. Duke is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Houston vs. Duke odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 136.5. Duke is -269 on the money line, while Houston is +216. Before making any Duke vs. Houston picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters this matchup on a 229-169 roll (+1805) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model also ranks in the 99.5th percentile in a major bracket contest after correctly calling every Elite Eight and Final Four team this year. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Duke vs. Houston and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Duke vs. Houston:

  • Duke vs. Houston spread: Duke -5.5
  • Duke vs. Houston over/under: 136.5 points  
  • Duke vs. Houston money line: Duke -269, Houston +216
  • HOU: The Cougars are 21-17 against the spread this season 
  • DUKE: The Blue Devils are 25-13 ATS this season 
  • Duke vs. Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Duke can cover

Freshman forward Cooper Flagg continues his dominant play. In Saturday's win over Alabama, he nearly had a double-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He has seven double-doubles on the year, including a 17-point, 14-rebound, two assists, two blocks and two steals in an 80-62 win over Virginia on Feb. 17. In 36 games, all starts, he is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks in 30.5 minutes.

Freshman guard Kon Knueppel has also been on a roll. He has scored 20 or more points in each of the last two games. In Saturday's win over the Crimson Tide, he poured in 21 points, while grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists and making three steals. In a 100-93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16, he scored 20 points and added four rebounds and three assists. In 38 games, all starts, he is averaging 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and one steal in 30.2 minutes. See which team to pick here.

Why Houston can cover 

Senior guard L.J. Cryer helps fuel the Cougars' dynamic attack. In 38 games this season, all starts, the first-team All-Big 12 selection is averaging 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and two assists. He connects on 40.9% of his field goals, including a blistering 41.9% from 3-point range, and 91.6% of his free throws. In the 81-76 win over Gonzaga in the second round, he poured in 30 points with three assists and two rebounds.

Junior guard Emanuel Sharp has reached double-digit scoring in eight of the last nine games. In a 74-54 win over BYU in the Big 12 Conference Tournament semifinals, he poured in 26 points, while grabbing four rebounds. He had 16 points and two rebounds in Sunday's win over Tennessee. In 35 games, including 34 starts, he is averaging 12.7 points, three rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27.1 minutes. See which team to pick here.

How to make Duke vs. Houston picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 142 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Houston vs. Duke, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Duke vs. Houston spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned nearly $1,900 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.