Duke, Houston Ready To Go For Clash In Final Four

While most thoughts in Gainesville throughout the week will be centered around Florida’s Final Four matchup with Auburn, it’s worth looking across to the other side of the bracket. In the second national semifinal matchup Saturday in San Antonio, Duke is taking on Houston.

The game will be a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 battle, where four-seed Duke edged out the top-seeded Cougars 54-51.

The Blue Devils (35-3) and the Cougars (34-4) share similarities in sheer excellence. The one seeds in each of their regions, both teams won their conference tournaments and dominated the regular season. Both teams made it into the Final Four by decimating two seeds in the round prior. Thankfully for fans, though, they are different enough to provide a fascinating matchup with a wide range of potential outcomes.

Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object

Duke has the best offense in the nation and Houston is the best on defense, according to KenPom ratings. Through four NCAA tournament games, both teams’ strengths have lived up to expectations.

Duke, ranked No. 1 in the nation, has scored 93, 89, 100 and 85 points, respectively, on its run to the Final Four. The only game that was even close was a Sweet 16 showdown with Arizona, but a historic performance from freshman standout Cooper Flagg carried the Blue Devils to a 100-93 win. That being said, their defense is no slouch either. They rank fourth by KenPom and held a talented Alabama team to only 65 points Saturday night.

The Cougars, ranked No. 2, have effectively shut down their side of the bracket, surrendering 60 points or less in three of their games. Houston hasn’t allowed 80 points in regulation all season, something Duke has done on 23 occasions.

Youth vs. Experience

The freshman duo of Flagg and Kon Knueppel spearhead Duke’s offensive attack, while Khaman Maluach and Isaiah Evans also play key roles. Houston, on the other hand, hasn’t given any minutes to freshmen since the Round of 64. The Cougars’ offense is driven by four double-digit scorers, all of whom are upperclassmen.

This canyon in experience extends to the coaching matchup as well. Despite being on the bench since 2013, Jon Scheyer is only in his third season at the Duke helm. His tenure has been a successful one and the Blue Devils have improved each year, but that still stands in stark contrast to his counterpart.

Kelvin Sampson has been the man in Houston since 2014 and now in his 32nd year as a collegiate head coach. He’s guided teams to three Final Fours, but he’d make his first national title game with a win.

Tip-off between Duke and Houston is set for 8:49 p.m. Saturday (CBS) in San Antonio. The winner plays the winner of the night’s other semifinal between Florida and Auburn for the national championship on Monday night.