University of Houston Athletics
Saturday, April 5
San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome)
7:49 p.m.
University of Houston
vs
#1/1 (1) Duke
PREVIEW: #2/2 (1) Houston Men’s Basketball Opens Final Four vs. Duke on Saturday
4/4/2025 8:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NCAA Final Four HubWatch (CBS)Listen (Varsity Network app)Listen (Westwood One)Live StatsHouston Game Notes (PDF)Duke Game Notes (PDF)Big 12 Notes (PDF)
Cougars meet Duke for second straight NCAA postseason; Tipoff at 7:49 p.m., inside Alamodome
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Winners of its last 17 games and 30 of its last 31, the #2/2 (1) University of Houston Men's Basketball program returns to the NCAA Final Four for the seventh time in school history to face #1/1 (1) Duke at 7:49 p.m., Saturday, inside Alamodome.
The Cougars earned their second place in the NCAA Final Four during the last five seasons under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson with a dominating 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon. Houston held the Volunteers to only 15 first-half points, a school-record low for points allowed in NCAA Tournament games and the fewest points by a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA postseason.
Junior guard Emanuel Sharp finished with 16 points and four 3-pointers – all in the second half – on the way to being named Most Outstanding player of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Graduate guard LJ Cryer totaled a team-high 17 points and joined Sharp and junior point guard Milos Uzan on the All-Tournament Team.
Saturday's game features the nation's top two teams in both national polls and in overall KenPom.com efficiencies with each program having lost only one game since November 2024.
NCAA FINAL FOUR HUB
For a complete schedule of events and other information, Houston fans should visit our NCAA Final Four Hub by clicking here.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Cougars are competing in the 26th NCAA Tournament in school history in 2025.
• This is the first time in school history that Houston will compete in seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
• This marks the third consecutive season in which the Cougars play as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• With its win over #24/23 (8) Gonzaga, Houston is 42-30 all-time at the NCAA Tournament with Final Four appearances in 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 2021.
• The Cougars advanced to the NCAA National Championship Game in 1983 before bowing out to NC State (in one of the most memorable games in NCAA Tournament history) and in 1984 against Georgetown, respectively.
• Houston has advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 or farther in each of the last six years. That is the nation's longest active streak.
FRIDAY OPEN PRACTICE – 1 p.m., Friday – Alamodome
Fans are welcome to attend the Cougars' take their first steps on the floor inside Alamodome during the team's open practice Friday. Admission is FREE, and all fans are invited.
The Cougars start their workout at 1 p.m., Friday, inside Alamodome (100 Montana St., San Antonio, TX 78203) and will practice for 50 minutes. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson will speak with CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson during the team's practice.
FINAL FOUR WELCOME PARTY – 6:30 p.m., Friday • Rita's on the River
All fans are welcome to join with their fellow Coogs during the Houston Cougars Final Four Welcome Party.
That event will be held at Rita's on the River (245 E. Commerce St., San Antonio 78205) beginning at 6:30 p.m., Friday.
FINAL FOUR RIVER RALLY – 11 a.m., Saturday • Rivercenter Lagoon
Houston fans can start their Final Four Saturday and join Cougar Brass, Shasta, Cheer and Cougar Dolls as they float down the river in a unique pep rally on the San Antonio River Walk (849 E. Commerce St., San Antonio, TX 78205)., beginning at 11 a.m., Saturday.
Fans interested in joining the Final Four River Rally should plan to gather at the Rivercenter Lagoon located within The Shops at River Center.
FINAL FOUR HOTEL SEND-OFF – 5:30 p.m., Saturday – San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk
All Houston fans are welcome to send off the Men's Basketball in style as they depart for Alamodome for Saturday's game against Duke.
Fans can join the fun at inside the hotel lobby at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk (101 Bowie St., San Antonio 78205), beginning at 5:30 p.m., Saturday.
FINAL FOUR EVENTS & MERCHANDISE
For a full list of NCAA Final Four fan events, fans can click here.
For a list of locations in San Antonio to purchase Official NCAA Four merchandise , fans can click here.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (reporter) and Gene Steratore (rules analyst) calling.
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 7:34 p.m. Saturday.
• Fans also can hear Saturday's game on Westwood One and on Sirius XM Radio with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), PJ Carlesimo) analyst and Andy Katz (reporter) calling.
• Fans can follow live stats from Saturday's game by clicking here.
ABOUT DUKE
• Duke brings a 35-3 overall record and 19-1 mark in ACC play into Saturday's NCAA Tournament Final Four.
• The Blue Devils swept the ACC regular-season and tournament championships
• Duke is ranked at #1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports Coaches polls.
• Duke is 8-2 in neutral-site games and 18-3 in non-home games during the 2024-25 season.
• The Blue Devils have won their 15 games and 30 of their last 31. Only 77-71 loss at Clemson on Feb. 8 prevents a longer streak.
• In its most recent action, Duke claimed an 85-65 win over Alabama during the NCAA Tournament East Regional Title Game inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on March 29.
• Against Alabama, freshman guard Kon Knueppel led all players with 21 points and grabbed five rebounds with team highs of five assists and three steals. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor finished with 17 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists while freshman forward Cooper Flagg added 16 points and tied with freshman center Khaman Maluach for game-high honors with nine rebounds.
• This season, Flagg leads Duke with 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Knueppel stands second with 14.4 points per game while Proctor ranks third with 12.5 points per contest. Maluah leads the way with 1.3 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Jon Scheyer is in his third season at Duke and as a collegiate head coach.
• Scheyer has built an 89-21 record during his career.
• Scheyer has posted a 1-0 record against Houston during his career.
• Scheyer is 1-0 against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 2010 graduate of Duke.
SERIES HISTORY vs. DUKE
• Duke holds a 1-0 lead against Houston in the series, which began during the 2023-24 season.
• In the lone previous meeting, #13/14 (4) Duke took a 54-51 win over #2/2 (1) Houston during the NCAA Tournament South Regional Elite Eight inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29, 2024
at Neutral Site: Duke owns a 1-0 lead against Houston in games played at neutral sites during the series history.
• In the lone previous meeting at a neutral site, #13/14 (4) Duke took a 54-51 win over #2/2 (1) Houston during the NCAA Tournament South Regional Elite Eight inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29, 2024
at NCAA Tournament: Duke owns a 1-0 lead against Houston in games played in the NCAA Tournament during the series history.
• In the lone previous meeting in the NCAA Tournament, #13/14 (4) Duke took a 54-51 win over #2/2 (1) Houston during the South Regional Elite Eight inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29, 2024
UP NEXT
• With a win over #1/1 (1) Duke on Saturday, Houston would advance to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game for the third time in school history and the first time since 1984.
• The Cougars would face the winner from #3/3 (1) Florida/#4/4 (1) Auburn inside Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, April 7.
• That game would air on CBS at 7:49 p.m., Monday, and could be heard on 950 AM KPRC, Varsity Network app and Westwood One.
BUY TICKETS
Current season-ticket holders can renew their season tickets now through April 30 by clicking here and logging into their accounts.
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
The Cougars earned their second place in the NCAA Final Four during the last five seasons under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson with a dominating 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon. Houston held the Volunteers to only 15 first-half points, a school-record low for points allowed in NCAA Tournament games and the fewest points by a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA postseason.
Junior guard Emanuel Sharp finished with 16 points and four 3-pointers – all in the second half – on the way to being named Most Outstanding player of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Graduate guard LJ Cryer totaled a team-high 17 points and joined Sharp and junior point guard Milos Uzan on the All-Tournament Team.
Saturday's game features the nation's top two teams in both national polls and in overall KenPom.com efficiencies with each program having lost only one game since November 2024.
NCAA FINAL FOUR HUB
For a complete schedule of events and other information, Houston fans should visit our NCAA Final Four Hub by clicking here.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Cougars are competing in the 26th NCAA Tournament in school history in 2025.
• This is the first time in school history that Houston will compete in seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
• This marks the third consecutive season in which the Cougars play as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• With its win over #24/23 (8) Gonzaga, Houston is 42-30 all-time at the NCAA Tournament with Final Four appearances in 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 2021.
• The Cougars advanced to the NCAA National Championship Game in 1983 before bowing out to NC State (in one of the most memorable games in NCAA Tournament history) and in 1984 against Georgetown, respectively.
• Houston has advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 or farther in each of the last six years. That is the nation's longest active streak.
FRIDAY OPEN PRACTICE – 1 p.m., Friday – Alamodome
Fans are welcome to attend the Cougars' take their first steps on the floor inside Alamodome during the team's open practice Friday. Admission is FREE, and all fans are invited.
The Cougars start their workout at 1 p.m., Friday, inside Alamodome (100 Montana St., San Antonio, TX 78203) and will practice for 50 minutes. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson will speak with CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson during the team's practice.
FINAL FOUR WELCOME PARTY – 6:30 p.m., Friday • Rita's on the River
All fans are welcome to join with their fellow Coogs during the Houston Cougars Final Four Welcome Party.
That event will be held at Rita's on the River (245 E. Commerce St., San Antonio 78205) beginning at 6:30 p.m., Friday.
FINAL FOUR RIVER RALLY – 11 a.m., Saturday • Rivercenter Lagoon
Houston fans can start their Final Four Saturday and join Cougar Brass, Shasta, Cheer and Cougar Dolls as they float down the river in a unique pep rally on the San Antonio River Walk (849 E. Commerce St., San Antonio, TX 78205)., beginning at 11 a.m., Saturday.
Fans interested in joining the Final Four River Rally should plan to gather at the Rivercenter Lagoon located within The Shops at River Center.
FINAL FOUR HOTEL SEND-OFF – 5:30 p.m., Saturday – San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk
All Houston fans are welcome to send off the Men's Basketball in style as they depart for Alamodome for Saturday's game against Duke.
Fans can join the fun at inside the hotel lobby at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk (101 Bowie St., San Antonio 78205), beginning at 5:30 p.m., Saturday.
FINAL FOUR EVENTS & MERCHANDISE
For a full list of NCAA Final Four fan events, fans can click here.
For a list of locations in San Antonio to purchase Official NCAA Four merchandise , fans can click here.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (reporter) and Gene Steratore (rules analyst) calling.
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 7:34 p.m. Saturday.
• Fans also can hear Saturday's game on Westwood One and on Sirius XM Radio with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), PJ Carlesimo) analyst and Andy Katz (reporter) calling.
• Fans can follow live stats from Saturday's game by clicking here.
ABOUT DUKE
• Duke brings a 35-3 overall record and 19-1 mark in ACC play into Saturday's NCAA Tournament Final Four.
• The Blue Devils swept the ACC regular-season and tournament championships
• Duke is ranked at #1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports Coaches polls.
• Duke is 8-2 in neutral-site games and 18-3 in non-home games during the 2024-25 season.
• The Blue Devils have won their 15 games and 30 of their last 31. Only 77-71 loss at Clemson on Feb. 8 prevents a longer streak.
• In its most recent action, Duke claimed an 85-65 win over Alabama during the NCAA Tournament East Regional Title Game inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on March 29.
• Against Alabama, freshman guard Kon Knueppel led all players with 21 points and grabbed five rebounds with team highs of five assists and three steals. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor finished with 17 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists while freshman forward Cooper Flagg added 16 points and tied with freshman center Khaman Maluach for game-high honors with nine rebounds.
• This season, Flagg leads Duke with 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Knueppel stands second with 14.4 points per game while Proctor ranks third with 12.5 points per contest. Maluah leads the way with 1.3 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Jon Scheyer is in his third season at Duke and as a collegiate head coach.
• Scheyer has built an 89-21 record during his career.
• Scheyer has posted a 1-0 record against Houston during his career.
• Scheyer is 1-0 against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 2010 graduate of Duke.
SERIES HISTORY vs. DUKE
• Duke holds a 1-0 lead against Houston in the series, which began during the 2023-24 season.
• In the lone previous meeting, #13/14 (4) Duke took a 54-51 win over #2/2 (1) Houston during the NCAA Tournament South Regional Elite Eight inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29, 2024
at Neutral Site: Duke owns a 1-0 lead against Houston in games played at neutral sites during the series history.
• In the lone previous meeting at a neutral site, #13/14 (4) Duke took a 54-51 win over #2/2 (1) Houston during the NCAA Tournament South Regional Elite Eight inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29, 2024
at NCAA Tournament: Duke owns a 1-0 lead against Houston in games played in the NCAA Tournament during the series history.
• In the lone previous meeting in the NCAA Tournament, #13/14 (4) Duke took a 54-51 win over #2/2 (1) Houston during the South Regional Elite Eight inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29, 2024
UP NEXT
• With a win over #1/1 (1) Duke on Saturday, Houston would advance to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game for the third time in school history and the first time since 1984.
• The Cougars would face the winner from #3/3 (1) Florida/#4/4 (1) Auburn inside Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, April 7.
• That game would air on CBS at 7:49 p.m., Monday, and could be heard on 950 AM KPRC, Varsity Network app and Westwood One.
BUY TICKETS
Current season-ticket holders can renew their season tickets now through April 30 by clicking here and logging into their accounts.
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
– UHCougars.com –
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