Houston vs Duke: 2023-24 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule

This Sweet Sixteen matchup pits Houston against Duke in an exciting matchup; can the Blue Devils get the upset and keep rolling or do the Cougars advance?

TV schedule: Friday, March 29, 9:39 pm ET. CBS

Arena: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas

It’s year two for Duke (26-8) since Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement but clearly Jon Scheyer still has this program in fantastic shape. The Blue Devils look great at times in a tough ACC and really showcased their talent to this point in the NCAA Tournament. After pulling away against Vermont in the opening round, Duke pounded James Madison to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

The leading story for the Blue Devils is sophomore Kyle Filipowski (16.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg), the impressive big man who opted to return for a second season with Duke and has only gotten better. Fellow sophomore Tyrese Proctor (10.9 ppg, 3.7 apg) has developed into an impactful orchestrator in this system. One of the season’s best surprises has been freshman Jared McCain (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), a talented shooter, who scored 30 against James Madison last weekend. Also keep an eye on Jeremy Roach (14.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg); he’s the senior and veteran leader in this young, talented lineup.

Duke ranks 6th in KenPom at the moment with the 5th-best offense in the nation according to the efficiency ratings. This is  a Blue Devils squad that shoots the ball really well from outside and play smart, cohesive offense. Filipowski and others have been impactful in the paint while McCain has developed into an elite shot maker. They’re no slouch on defense either, though offense is clearly where Duke makes their headway.

Across the court sits Houston (32-4), a team that has certainly proven that they are talented and elite. The Cougars won the Big 12 in their first season in the league and are one of the nation’s best defensive units. They completely shot down Longwood in the opening round of the Big Dance and found a way to survive a riveting overtime thriller against Texas A&M in the second round.

Leading scorer LJ Cryer (15.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) gained experience the last few years at Baylor and has been a notable weapon for the Cougars. Perhaps the most important piece is Jamal Shead (13.2 ppg, 6.4 apg), an athletic point guard who was the Big 12’s best defensive player this season. Emanuel Sharp (12.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) has really taken a step forward as a sophomore in this system while J’Wan Roberts (9.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) continues to emerge as a stout back-end presence in this defense.

Houston is currently 2nd in KenPom and has been among the best teams in the nation for the entire season. They’re 2nd in the nation in defensive efficiency, with conference rival Iowa State the only team above them in those rankings right now. The Cougars play a slow burn and are devastating on the defensive end, significantly limiting even the toughest offenses on their schedule throughout this season.

The Cougars survived a wild comeback against Texas A&M, though the 95 points they allowed was a season-high. Was that just an aberration for the Cougars or can a potent Duke team take advantage? Duke’s ability to get open shots and hit them will go a long way to determining how this game goes. They’ll certainly hope that McCain can continue his hot shooting.

Let’s not read too much into that game from Sunday; Houston is one of the elite teams in the nation and are certainly favored to defeat this Duke squad. The Cougars did just score 100 points in the second round and should have success offensively, if not to that same extent. This will be a lower scoring game than many expect, with Houston doing just enough to march to the Elite Eight.

Prediction: Houston 72, Duke 67