The Final Four concludes on Saturday night with a rematch from the Sweet 16 a year ago with the Houston Cougars and the Duke Blue Devils.
Last year, the Blue Devils won an ugly game by the score of 54-51 in Dallas. This features several new players, and my Houston vs. Duke same-game parlay features a couple of them.
Check out my March Madness picks for Saturday, April 5.
Saturday's best Houston vs Duke same-game parlay: Final Four
Sion James Over 2.5 assists
L.J. Cryer Under 2.5 rebounds
Houston +9.5
I am starting this same game parlay with one of those newcomers for Duke and that is guard Sion James. The fifth-year senior transfer from Tulane is averaging 3.0 assists on the season and has recorded at least three assists in two of the four NCAA Tournament games this year. We are getting his Over 2.5 assists at plus money here for a big boost to the parlay.
The Houston Cougars have an excellent defense, but they still allow 11.3 assists per game. They allowed 14 assists last season to Duke despite only allowing 54 points. Even if the Blue Devils get shut down, they will be able to get assists, and I would be surprised if James does not get at least three of them.
My next pick is on one of the returning players from last year. That is Houston guard L.J. Cryer to go Under 2.5 rebounds. The fifth-year senior had seven rebounds in the Elite 8 against Tennessee but that was a great matchup for him. This one is back to a typical matchup where he averages 2.3 boards per game on the season.
Cryer has only recorded three or more rebounds in 11 of his 38 games this season and Duke is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, ranking eighth in rebound percentage.
Finally, I am going to take an alternate spread on the Cougars. Houston has only lost four games all season and they were by a combined 14 points. All four games were decided by five points or less. Three of them went to overtime.
While Duke has been playing like the best team in the country since the turn of the new year, you could make an argument that Houston has been the most consistently good team in the country all season long. They just do not get blown out and they won’t here either.
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