The Houston Cougars like mixing it up — and turning things ugly. Their hard-nosed defense has been a staple throughout coach Kelvin Sampson's 11-year tenure, and it served them well again in Indianapolis against two teams with much larger fan bases,

The University of Houston is playing just 200 miles from campus, but tickets to get inside San Antonio's Alamodome are expensive.

The No. 1 Cougars beat the No. 2 Volunteers, 69-50, in the Elite Eight on Sunday after amassing a 34-15 halftime lead. Tennessee’s fourth basket of the game came on its 23rd shot attempt. And that shot by Jordan Gainey simply cut a 21-point lead into a 29-10 advantage for Houston with 3:37 to play before the break.

Duke enters Final Four as a worthy favorite, but how can you ignore Houston's experience, defense and grit? Beware the upset!

Tennessee veterans Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack were part of the Volunteers team that lost to Purdue in the Elite Eight last year. They could have left to explore their professional basketball opportunities, but decided to return to Tennessee for another opportunity like the one they have today.

Despite turning his left ankle and suffering a right elbow injury, Johni Broome finished with 25 points. His health will be massive for Auburn against the Gators. Florida beat the Tigers 90-81 at Auburn on Feb. 8. Auburn won the regular-season SEC title but Florida won the SEC tournament.

To beat Duke, you need to match fire with fire. Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. brings the heat, and veteran guards shine brightest in March Madness.

No. 1 seed Duke, led by National Player of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg, will square off against No. 1 seed Houston, while No. 1 seed Florida faces No. 1 Auburn in the national semifinals. Florida will make its first appearance in the Final Four since 2014.

Final Four picks, predictions, odds for Duke Blue Devils vs Houston Cougars NCAA Tournament March Madness game Saturday, April 5, 2025. Who wins game?