Duke Basketball Final Four Opponent Now Set in Stone

Just one season ago, the Duke basketball program squared off against the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16. Head coach Jon Scheyer and the No. 4 seed Blue Devils pulled off the upset, knocking off the No. 1 seed Cougars with a low-scoring 54-51 victory.

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Fast forward a year. The teams, both No. 1 seeds this go-round, will meet up once again, only this time in the Final Four.

Following the No. 1 seed Blue Devils' 85-65 victory over No. 2 seed Alabama on Saturday night to punch their ticket to San Antonio, fans eagerly awaited the result of Sunday’s Elite Eight battle between No. 1 seed Houston and the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers to see who would earn the chance to compete against high-powered Duke this Saturday.

Folks didn't have to wait very long, with Houston dominating the game from the opening tip en route to a 69-50 victory over Tennessee, setting the stage for a rematch against the team that knocked the Cougars out of the 2024 Big Dance.

The patented lockdown Cougar defense was in regular form, holding Tennessee to just 5-for-29 shooting beyond the arc and 15-for-52 from the field. Houston never trailed in the game.

Saturday’s clash in the Alamodome features two of the nation’s premier defenses, with both squads ranking among the top five on that end of the floor, according to KenPom.

Scheyer and his staff will have a little less than a week to prepare the Blue Devils for the Cougars as Duke looks to continue its quest to capture the program’s sixth national championship. The tip time hasn't been announced yet.

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