March Madness: Duke vs. Houston odds, picks and predictions

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The Duke Blue Devils (26-8) and Houston Cougars (32-4) meet Friday in Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from the American Airlines Center is slated for 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Duke vs. Houston odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.

The 4th-seeded Blue Devils rolled up a 93-55 win against the 12th-seeded James Madison Dukes in the 2nd round, after coasting by the 13th-seeded Vermont Catamounts 64-47 in the 1st round. Duke has covered both games in the NCAA Tournament, and the Under is 3-0 in the postseason, and 11-2 across the past 13 games.

The top-seeeded Cougars collapsed in the final couple of minutes in the 2nd round against 9-seed Texas A&M, as the Aggies had a flurry of points late to force overtime. Houston hung on for the 100-95 win in the extra session, but it failed to cover as an 8.5-point favorite as the Over (135.5) cashed. Houston has averaged 93.0 PPG in 2 NCAA Tournament games, while the Over has cashed in each outing.

Duke was No. 14 and Houston was No. 2 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll of the regular season.

Duke vs. Houston odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:16 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Duke +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Houston -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
Against the spread: Duke +3.5 (+100) | Houston -3.5 (-120)
Over/Under (O/U): 134.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Duke vs. Houston and predictions

Prediction

Houston 69, Duke 64

Moneyline

Houston (-190) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and that’s just a little too expensive. Duke (+155) has been hot lately, winning 13 of the past 17 games outright, including wins over Clemson, who is on to the Elite 8, and NC State, who is in the Sweet 16, also playing Friday.

AVOID, and look to the spread instead.

Against the spread

HOUSTON -3.5 (-120) is worth a look, as the Cougars are 4-2 ATS in the past 6 games. The offense for the Cougars has been strong lately, going for 82 or more points in 3 of the past 4 postseason games.

Duke +3.5 (+100) won’t go quietly, and it is a tempting play at even-money. Duke is 10-3 ATS in the past 13 games, too. However, the Cougars have a lockdown defense, and will make life awfully tough on Kyle Filipowski and the Blue Devils offense. Houston ranked No. 1 in the regular season with just 56.9 points per game (PPG) allowed, while limiting teams to a 38.3% field-goal percentage, which was No. 2 in the nation.

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Over/Under

UNDER 134.5 (-110) is the lean in this Sweet 16 matchup.

While Houston has had a lockdown defense, it allowed 95 points to Texas A&M in the 2nd round, and the Over is 3-1 in the past 4 games. Still, defense is the name of the game for the Cougars, and will be the difference if it is to advance.

However, it’s Duke driving this Under train, as the Blue Devils have hit the Under in 3 in a row in the postseason, while going 6-1 in the past 7 games, and 11-2 in the previous 13 contests.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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