The top-seeded Houston Cougars make their fifth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance when they take on the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils in the South Region semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday. Houston (32-4) trounced Longwood 86-46 in its opener before outlasting Texas A&M 100-95 in overtime in the second round. Duke (26-8) reached the Sweet 16 for the 33rd time in program history and first under head coach Jon Scheyer with ease as it began the Big Dance with a 64-47 triumph over Vermont and rolled past James Madison 93-55 last Sunday.

Tipoff at American Airlines Center in Dallas is scheduled for 9:39 p.m. ET. The Cougars are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Houston vs. Duke odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 134.5.

Before making any Duke vs. Houston picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from SportsLine expert Zack Cimini. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

A Las Vegas handicapper who's never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Cimini entered the Sweet 16 as SportsLine's most profitable college basketball expert. He's 83-58-2 on his last 143 college basketball picks, returning $1,880 for $100 players. Anyone following him has seen HUGE returns!

Cimini knows Houston became the first team since UTEP in 1987 to win an NCAA Tournament game despite having four players foul out when it defeated Texas A&M. Three players scored at least 20 points in that victory, marking the third time in program history the feat was accomplished during March Madness and first since 1983 against Villanova in the Elite Eight. Sophomore guard Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 30 points against the Aggies, Jamal Shead recorded 21 and dished out 10 assists, and fellow senior guard L.J. Cryer contributed 20 points.

The expert also has taken into account that Duke had four players score in double figures in each of its first two victories in the Tournament, with freshman guard Jared McCain, sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor and senior guard Jeremy Roach recording 13 or more points in each contest. The Blue Devils' 38-point triumph over the Dukes on Sunday was the third-largest in school history in the Round of 32 of the Big Dance or later. McCain scored 15 points in Duke's first-round win and doubled that total while going 8-for-11 from 3-point range versus James Madison.

Now, Cimini has set its sights on Houston vs. Duke. We can tell you he is leaning Under on the point total, and he also has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back! You ABSOLUTELY need to see Cimini's analysis before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Houston vs. Duke, and which side of the spread is a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which picks you should be all over in the Duke vs. Houston matchup on Friday, all from the expert who is on an 83-58-2 roll on his college basketball picks!