Joe Lunardi Predicts Score of Duke-Houston Final Four
The Duke Blue Devils and the Houston Cougars will battle it out on Saturday night for a spot in the NCAA Tournament's national title game. This marks Duke's 18th Final Four appearance, while Houston is set to make its seventh.
No. 1 seed Duke enters the game, having blown through the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament by defeating No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's 93-49, No. 9 seed Baylor 89-66, No. 4 seed Arizona 100-93 and No. 2 seed Alabama 85-65.
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Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Houston has beaten No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville 78-40, No. 8 seed Gonzaga 81-76, No. 4 seed Purdue 62-60 and No. 2 seed Tennessee 69-50.
Following Sunday's completion of the Elite Eight, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi shared his score prediction for Duke-Houston.
Despite Houston being a 4.5-point underdog (ESPN BET), Lunardi is picking the Cougars to beat the Blue Devils 75-70.
The scene at the 2024 Final Four in Glendale, Ariz.© Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Lunardi admitted he would usually ride with a talented team with no experience rather than a less-talented team with lots of experience. However, Houston has both, while Duke is very young.
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"Generally, I would still pick talent over experience, but it's not like the Houston guys are unaccomplished," Lunardi said. "The Cougars have won 159 games in the J'wan Roberts-Kelvin Sampson era. This is their second Final Four together. The Cougars, at 17 victories in a row, can also claim the nation's longest current winning streak. They have lost just once since November and have lost only once in regulation all season. This is a fabulous matchup in every way, but I'm taking the experienced veterans over the most talented freshmen in the tournament."
Three of Duke's starters are freshmen: Cooper Flagg (18 years old), Kon Knueppel (19) and Khaman Maluach (18). Four of Houston's five starters are 21 or older: L.J. Cryer (23), Emanuel Sharp (21), J'wan Roberts (23) and Milos Uzan (22)
Both teams have been among the best in college basketball all season. In fact, they hold the top two spots in the KenPom rankings, with Duke at No. 1 and Houston at No. 2.
The Blue Devils (35-3) boast the nation's most efficient offense and rank fourth in defensive efficiency, while the Cougars (34-4) have the country's top-ranked defense and a top-10 offense. Anytime the best offense goes up against the best defense, it sets up a classic.
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Tip-off in San Antonio is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. ET Saturday. The winner will face Auburn or Florida in the national championship on April 7.
Related: Joe Lunardi Predicts Score of Auburn-Florida Final Four
Related: ESPN BPI Predicts Winner of 2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship
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