Nearing the nine-minute mark, the Blue Devils were on the verge of taking a double-digit lead — the first of the game and one of many this season for Duke.
The Houston stopped that from happening, though, going on a 6-0 run in less than a minute to cut the Blue Devils’ lead down to three. Forward J’Wan Roberts knocked down a free throw, followed by guard Emanuel Sharp’s 3-pointer and a left hook by Roberts over Flagg.
Duke called a timeout after Roberts’ basket, not scoring for the last two and a half minutes. The Blue Devils lead 18-15.
The Cougars turning defense to offense 👀#MarchMadness @UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/JPQiyii3ED
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025
After a shaky start to the contest for both teams, the Blue Devils have woken up, going on a 9-2 run over a 2:45 span. They lead 14-8 with a little less than 12 minutes left in the half.
Although outrebounding Duke 11-7, Houston is shooting 3-15 from the field.
Guard Kon Knueppel leads the way for Blue Devils in scoring with seven points and forward Cooper Flagg has five. Flagg is responsible for the biggest play on the scoring run, throwing down a two-handed slam on a fast break.
COOPER FLAGG ALL THE WAY TO THE RIM 💪#MarchMadness @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/Vmea5BTOWU
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025
Duke and Houston have struggled to find the bottom of the basket early, sitting at 4-2 in favor of the Cougars in the first four minutes of the contest.
Houston is 1/9 from the field, while the Blue Devils are 0/4 and two free throws. The only shot made was Houston guard LJ Cryer’s three-pointer.
LJ Cryer puts Houston on the board first 🎯#MarchMadness @UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/mqta1Gv76m
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025
The second Final Four contest between (1) Duke and (1) Houston is just minutes away. It features the nation’s top-rated offense and defense where each team has lost one game since Nov. 2024.
The winner will take on (1) Florida in the national championship on Monday, Apr. 7 at 8:50 p.m. ET.
Follow along here for live updates and highlights throughout the game.
Here are the starting lineups:
Two historic programs clash on college basketball’s biggest stage after putting together dominant resumes to this point. Each is a regular season conference champion and conference tournament champion. Each is a one-seed. Each boasts a top-10 defense in the nation, and each has a coach searching for their first national championship.
Neither team is accustomed to losses, as Duke (35-3) and Houston (34-4) combine for just seven on the season. The Cougars carry a 17-game win streak into San Antonio, with their last loss in overtime to Texas Tech on Feb. 1. The Blue Devils hold a 15-game win streak, with their last loss handed by Clemson on Feb. 8.
The Blue Devils are anchored by freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, who leads Jon Scheyer’s young but proven Duke squad in points, rebounds and assists. Scheyer starts three true freshmen — Flagg, small forward Kon Knueppel and center Khaman Maluach — and the backcourt is rounded out by junior point guard Tyrese Proctor and fifth-year Tulane transfer Sion James.
HOW DOES IT FEEL? 🕺🕺🕺🕺
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 30, 2025
It is a physically imposing team, with Maluach standing at 7-foot-2 and boasting a 7-foot-5 wingspan anchoring the paint while guards Proctor and James both come in at 6-foot-6. It’s no mystery why the Blue Devils hold opponents to just 62 points a game. But they are sound in just about every aspect of the game, ranking inside the top 15 nationally in points per game, points allowed per game, free throw percentage, 3-point percentage and turnovers per game.
The Cougars have a different build-up as Kelvin Sampson’s squad only starts one underclassman in sophomore Joseph Tugler. Houston is led by fifth-year point guard LJ Cryer who is shooting 42% from beyond the arc this season. The Cougars don’t match the size of Duke’s squad, with 6-foot-8 J’Wan Roberts as the tallest in the lineup, but they play a relentless brand of defense that ranks them first nationally in points allowed per game (58.3). Sampson’s squad held two-seed Tennessee to just 15 first-half points in their Elite Eight matchup, and the Vols finished with less than 60 points for just the second time all season.
Tournament Talk 🗣️
presented by @HARMembers
Here’s what @LjCryer had to say following our Elite Eight matchup against Tennessee.#ForTheCity x #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/QZUH9WyLoq
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) March 31, 2025
Houston holds the nation’s fifth-best 3-point percentage, nearly touching 40% from downtown as a team on the year. The veteran squad has a balanced scoring attack with four starters in double figures, and they commit the third-fewest turnovers in the nation (9).
The Cougars are making their seventh Final Four appearance and Duke, it’s 18th. Sampson will try to get one step closer to bringing the Cougars its first national championship, and Scheyer will try to follow the footsteps of the legendary Mike Krzyzewski as the Blue Devils hunt for their sixth title.
It is lining up to be a defensive battle yet again between these two squads in San Antonio, just a year removed from their Sweet 16 matchup in 2024. Duke prevailed 54-51 in that one, but it is a new season and a very new Blue Devil roster. Follow along here on Saturday to track all of the action.
Here’s how the two teams matchup on the hardwood:
*() indicate national rank
Houston STAT Duke 74.0 (#164) Points/game 83.7 (#9) 58.3 (#1) Points allowed/game 62.6 (#7) 39.7% (#5) 3-point % 38.6% (#11) 74.1% (#108) Free throw % 79.0% (#10) 9.0 (#T-3) Turnovers/game 9.4 (#11) LJ Cryer, 15.4 PPG leader Cooper Flagg, 18.9 Milos Uzan, 4.4 APG leader Cooper Flagg, 4.2 J’Wan Roberts, 6.3 RPG leader Cooper Flagg, 7.5 👉 Click or tap here to look at all stats
