Halftime Report

Duke is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 23-22 lead against Houston.

If Duke keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 27-8 in no time. On the other hand, Houston will have to make due with a 32-5 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Duke Blue Devils @ Houston Cougars

Current Records: Duke 26-8, Houston 32-4

How To Watch

What to Know

A Sweet Sixteen matchup is on tap on Friday as the Houston Cougars and the Duke Blue Devils will duke it out at 9:39 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center. We saw both of these teams recently pull out wins they weren't expected to get, so we'll see who gives it right back.

Houston scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Sunday. They walked away with a 100-95 victory over Texas A&M. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Houston to victory, but perhaps none more so than Emanuel Sharp, who scored 30 points along with two steals. Another player making a difference was J'Wan Roberts, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.

Meanwhile, Duke can now show off 12 landslide victories after their most recent game on Sunday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat James Madison 93-55 on the road. The over/under was set at 147.5 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.

Jared McCain was the offensive standout of the matchup as he went 8 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 30 points and 1 assist. Jeremy Roach was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with six assists and two steals.

Houston is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 32-4 record this season. As for Duke, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 26-8.

Houston is hoping to beat the odds on Friday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. The pair have both performed well against the spread, with Houston at 20-15 and Duke at 5-5-1 ATS.

Odds

Houston is a 4-point favorite against Duke, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 134.5 points.

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