Top-Ranked Teams, Duke and Houston, Square Off in Final Four

Saturday, April 5

San Antonio, Texas

8:49 p.m. ET

Duke University

Houston

Duke Men's Basketball Team at 2025 Final Four in San Antonio

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Top-Ranked Teams, Duke and Houston, Square Off in Final Four

4/4/2025 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Duke Game Notes (PDF)Coach Scheyer Quotes (PDF)

The Opening Tip

No. 1 Duke faces No. 2 Houston in the national semifinal of the NCAA Tournament Final Four on Saturday, April 5. The Blue Devils (35-3) and Cougars (34-4), tip off at 8:49 p.m. ET, on CBS.
Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson will call the action on CBS. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Duke's 18th Final Four appearance ties UCLA for second-most all time.
The Blue Devils are 11-6 in the national semifinal game, including an 8-2 record since 1990.
Duke owns the second-highest net rating (39.62) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season). Only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils have achieved a higher net rating (43.01).
The Blue Devils have won 31 of their last 32 games since late November, including the nation's second-longest current win streak at 15 consecutive victories.
Duke leads the nation in scoring margin (+21.1) and ranks third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.82), third in effective field goal percentage (.582), fourth in field goal percentage defense (.385), sixth in field goal percentage (.496), seventh in scoring defense (62.6), ninth in scoring offense (83.7), 10th in free throw percentage (.790), 11th in rebound margin (+7.7), 11th in three-point percentage (.386), 11th in turnovers per game (9.4), 16th in assists per game (17.1) and 20th in three-pointers per game (10.2) - all top marks in the ACC.
Duke leads the ACC in scoring offense (83.7) and scoring defense (62.6), and could become the first team in ACC history to lead the conference in both categories.
Duke is the only team in the country ranked among the top-four in both offensive (1st) and defensive (4th) adjusted efficiency, according to KenPom.
Duke is the only Division I team to score 80 points or more per game (83.7) and hold its opponents to fewer than 63 points per game (62.6).
The 367 points are the most in the first four NCAA Tournament games by a Duke team.
Jon Scheyer's 89 career victories is tied with Brad Underwood and Brad Stevens for the most wins among Division I head coaches in their first three seasons.
Cooper Flagg joined fellow Blue Devil Grant Hill (1994) as the only players to average 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the NCAA Tournament entering the Final Four.
Khaman Maluach's 87.0% field goal shooting (20-of-23) during the NCAA Tournament is the best by any player entering the Final Four since 1985 (min. 20 FGA), per CBS Sports. Maluach has 76 dunks this season, compared to just 63 combined by Duke foes. His 76 slams are fourth-most by a Blue Devil in a season, ahead of Zion Williamson's 72 (5th).
Sion James ranks second in ACC and 38th in nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6 (115 assists/45 turnovers).
Tyrese Proctor is shooting 16-of-25 (.640) from distance to average 17.0 points per game during NCAA Tournament. Proctor's 16 made three-pointers top the NCAA Tournament field, as Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. is second with 14 triples.
Kon Knueppel averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during wins over Arizona and Alabama in Newark.

Duke in the NCAA Tournament

Head coach Jon Scheyer leads Duke into the tournament for the third straight season and has steered the Blue Devils to a top-five seed in each of his first three seasons. The 37-year-old is the youngest head coach in the Final Four since Butler head coach Brad Stevens in 2011.
2025 marks the first one seed for the Blue Devils under Scheyer and is the 15th time in program history that Duke has been tapped as a one seed. Duke is 58-10 (.853) all-time as a No. 1 seed.
Duke is 126-41 (.754) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played.
Duke's 126 wins are third-most in the event's history.
The Blue Devils have now been selected to the East Region 20 times – last in 2023 – and hold a 63-17 (.788) record when playing out of the East.
This is Duke's 18th Final Four appearance, which ties UCLA for second-most all time.
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Duke has made 13 Final Four appearances, the most by any program during that time span.

Opponent Notes

Houston, ranked No. 2 in the top-25 polls, makes its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament Final Four and the second time under head coach Kelvin Sampson.
This is the Cougars' third straight year as a No. 1 seed.
Duke defeated Houston, 54-51, in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Dallas, Texas, on March 29, 2024, in the only meeting between the two programs.
Houston owns the nation's longest win streak at 17 games, having won 30 of its last 31 contests since the end of November.
Houston defeated Arizona, 72-64, to win the Big 12 tournament championship on March 15 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Houston boasts the nation's top adjusted defensive efficiency rating (87.4) on KenPom, and is 10th offensively (123.9).
Houston leads the country in scoring defense (58.3) and field goal percentage defense (.382).
The Cougars also rank third in the nation in turnovers per game (9.0), fourth in scoring margin (15.8) and fifth in three-point percentage (.397).
LJ Cryer, Associated Press All-America Third Team selection, averages 15.4 points/game to top four double-figure scorers.

Last Time Out

No. 1-seed Duke advanced to the 2025 Final Four, defeating No. 2-seed Alabama, 85-65, in the East Region Final on Saturday, March 29.
The Blue Devils (35-3) earned their 18th Final Four berth and the first under head coach Jon Scheyer.
With Duke leading by seven, 65-58, at the 8:03 mark, the Blue Devils then ran off 13 straight points to grab a 20-point lead, 78-58, with 2:47 – a scoreless stretch of 5:16.
The scoring run of at least 10 unanswered points is Duke's 39th of the season, compared to just seven for the Blue Devils' opponents.
Overall, Duke's defense held Alabama to 65 points, 26.4 points below the Crimson Tide's nation-leading average of 91.4 points per game.
Kon Knueppel led the team with 21 points and added a squad-high five assists. Khaman Maluach and Cooper Flagg paced Duke on the glass with nine rebounds each. Tyrese Proctor scored 17 points on 7-of-10 (.700) from the field. The junior also grabbed five rebounds, his eighth game this season with at least five boards. Maluach rounded out Duke's double-digit scoring, with 14, on 6-of-7 (.857) from the field. Five of his six made shots came via slam dunks and also led the team in blocks with two.
Flagg was named East Region Most Outstanding Player and was joined on the All-Region team by his classmates Knueppel and Maluach.
Duke improved its NCAA Tournament record to 126-41 (.754) all-time, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played.
Scheyer improved his career record to 89-21 (.809), including a 8-2 mark in the NCAA Tournament.
The 65 points were the second-lowest output for Alabama this season, trailing only its 64-point game against Ole Miss.
Duke held the Crimson Tide to 23-of-65 (.354) shooting, the lowest single-game shooting percentage by Alabama this season.
Duke shot 30-of-56 (.536) from the field, its fourth consecutive game with a shooting percentage over 50-percent.
The Blue Devils logged 50-40-80 shooting splits, adding 6-of-13 (.462) from deep and 19-of-22 (.864) from the charity stripe.
The Blue Devils out-rebounded Alabama, 41-30, and has finished with a double-digit advantage on the glass in 19 games this season.
Duke ended the contest with a 40-28 margin for points in the paint, the second straight game with at least 40 points in the paint.
The 20-point margin of victory is Duke's 22nd win this season of at least 20 points.
Duke improved its record to 35-3 overall to become the sixth team in program history to reach 35 victories in a season (2014-15, 2009-10, 2000-01, 1998-99, 1985-86).

Scheyer Breaks ACC Record for Most Victories in First Three Seasons

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has achieved a career record of 89-21 for a winning percentage of .809.
Scheyer's 89 victories exceed the standard set by Bill Guthridge (80, North Carolina, 1997-2000) for the most wins by an ACC coach in their first three seasons.
Scheyer's 89 victories ties Brad Underwood and Brad Stevens for the most wins in the first three seasons as a Division I men's basketball head coach.
Scheyer became the first coach in conference history to win two ACC Tournament championships in his first three seasons as a head coach.
Scheyer is one of four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award, was named NABC South Atlantic District Coach of the Year, and is the recipient of the 2025 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award, as presented by CollegeInsider.com.

Duke Continues to Rank Among Nation's Top Defenses

Duke is once again one of the top defenses in the country.
KenPom ranks the Blue Devils as the third-best defense in the nation with a raw defense efficiency rating of 93.8. (as of March 31)
This season, Duke ranks fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.385) and seventh in scoring defense (62.6) - both top marks in the ACC.
The 2024-25 Blue Devils are the first Duke team since the 1948-49 season to hold every regular-season opponent to fewer than 80 points.
Based on EvanMiya's Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating, Duke has five of the top nine defenders in the ACC: Cooper Flagg (1st), Maliq Brown (3rd), Kon Knueppel (7th), Khaman Maluach (8th) and Sion James (9th). Flagg ranks as the second-best defender in the nation with a rating of 4.37.
Duke opponents have committed 34 shot clock violations on the season, compared to just eight by the Blue Devils.
Last season, the 2023-24 Blue Devils finished 16th in the nation in defense efficiency (95.2), and ranked 28th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 66.3 points per game.
In 2022-23, Jon Scheyer's first season as head coach, Duke finished the season 16th in the nation in defense efficiency (93.9), and ranked 24th in three-point percentage defense (.305), 27th in field goal percentage defense (.406) and 30th in scoring defense (63.6).

Blue Devils Evolve into One of the Nation's Top Offenses

While Duke established itself as an imposing defensive unit early in the season, the Blue Devils have evolved into one of the top-rated offenses in the country.
The Blue Devils are No. 1 on KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency list (130.1), followed by Florida (129.1) and Auburn (127.6).
Duke also owns the top-rated offense by EvanMiya with an offensive performance rating of 22.4, ahead of Florida (20.3) and Alabama (19.2).
Duke ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.82), third in effective field goal percentage (.582), sixth in field goal percentage (.496), ninth in scoring offense (83.7) and 16th in assists per game (17.1) - all top marks in the ACC.
In the last seven regular-season games (wins over Stanford, Virginia, Illinois, Miami, Florida State, Wake Forest and North Carolina), Duke averaged 95.4 points per contest, while shooting 240-of-452 (53.1%) from the field, 81-of-188 (43.1%) from three-point land and 107-of-128 (83.6%) from the free-throw line.
Against Stanford, Duke averaged 1.68 points per possession, the fourth-highest efficiency against a high-major opponent in the KenPom database (since 1996-97), then 1.31 PPP at Virginia and 1.51 PPP versus Illinois. The offensive rating of 147 during those three games is the best three-game stretch against high-major opponents in KenPom history, topping the previous high of 140 by North Carolina in 2016. (The Athletic)

Flagg Collecting Accolades and Making History

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was announced as the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year, while being named to the All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team and ACC All-Rookie Team.
The Newport, Maine native was named the winner of the 2024-25 Oscar Robertson Trophy as the National Player of the Year and the 2024-25 Wayman Tisdale Award recipient as the National Freshman Player of the Year, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He is just the fourth player to sweep both awards, joining Zion Williamson (2019), Anthony Davis (2012) and Kevin Durant (2007).
Flagg is a consensus First Team All-American, being named to the All-America First Team by Sporting News, Associated Press (AP), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Flagg is the first consensus First Team All-America selection for Duke since RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson accomplished the feat in 2019.
Flagg is the 22nd all-time Duke player to be named a consensus First Team All-American and his selection is the 25th total in program history - which leads college basketball in the modern era (since 1949). As a freshman, Flagg is the 10th Blue Devil rookie to garner All-America honors.
Flagg was a unanimous first-team selections both to the AP and Sporting News All-America lists.
Flagg collected 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the season-opener against Maine to become the first freshman in Duke history to have at least 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in their debut.
Flagg became the only 17-year-old in NCAA history to register multiple 20-point double-doubles, according to Real Sports.
In Duke's four top-25 matchups, Flagg averaged 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
After registering a pair of 20-point double-doubles without committing a turnover against No. 2 Auburn and at Louisville, Flagg was declared the Associated Press and Lute Olson National Player of the Week and the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 9).
Flagg broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame (Jan. 11), becoming the youngest player in NCAA history to have a 40-point game, according to Real Sports.
The freshman achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the fall 2024 semester.
Flagg has posted seven double-doubles this season, including four with 20 points or more and two of those against ranked opponents, collecting 26 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 19 Kentucky and 22 points and 11 caroms against No. 2 Auburn.
Flagg has been voted as the ACC Rookie of the Week a record 12 times (Nov. 18, Nov. 25, Dec. 9, Dec. 23, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, March 10) and the ACC Player of the Week five times (Nov. 25, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Feb. 3, Feb. 24).
Flagg's 12 ACC Rookie of the Week awards are the conference record, passing the standard of 10 honors by Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech (1990), Tyler Hansbrough of UNC (2006) and Jabari Parker of Duke (2014).
Flagg became the first ACC player to amass 500 points, 100 assists and 30 blocks in the regular season in the last 25 years, reaching those numbers in 26 games (at Virginia).
Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, currently leads Duke in points (18.9), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4), and is second in blocked shots (1.3).
Flagg is the only player to rank among the ACC's top-10 in four of five major statistical categories - scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th) and blocked shots (8th), and is 12th in steals.
Flagg is the second-highest rated player in the history of the KenPom Player of the Year Standings (since 2011) with a rating of 2.710, trailing Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin in 2015 (2.794) and ahead of Zach Edey of Purdue in 2024 (2.699).
Flagg currently leads the KenPom Player of the Year Standings with a 2.710 rating, ahead of Auburn's Johni Broome (2.338) and Walter Clayton of Florida (1.581).
Flagg is the top-rated player by EvanMiya with a combined offensive and defensive rating of 10.81, compared to Johni Broome of Auburn, who is second with a 9.34 rating.
Flagg is rated as the No. 1 defender in the ACC and second nationally by EvanMiya with a defensive performance rating of 4.37.

Duke Remains No. 1 in Top-25 Polls

Duke moved to the top of both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches top-25 polls on March 10, and remained in the top spot on March 17 after winning three games in Charlotte to capture the ACC Tournament title.
The No. 1 ranking on March 10 was the first time the Blue Devils have been positioned atop the Associated Press poll since Nov. 29, 2021.
Duke has now been ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation for 147 weeks, more than any other program in the country.

On This Date

Duke's only game played on April 5 was the 2010 NCAA national championship contest, a 61-59 win over Butler in Indianapolis.
In that 2010 national title game, then Duke senior and current head coach Jon Scheyer collected 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots and a steal.
The Blue Devils have a 9-6 all-time record in the month of April, including a 9-3 mark since 1991 and a 4-1 ledger since 2010.

All-Access with Coach Jon Scheyer Debuts

The weekly television show, "Duke All-Access with Jon Scheyer," is back for its third season in 2024-25.
The 30-minute show features Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils team. Presented in magazine format and produced by John Roth, the show also includes informative player features and behind-the-scenes access to the Duke program.
A production of Blue Devil Sports Properties from LEARFIELD, the show airs locally on ABC-11 WTVD on Sundays at noon ET and is live streamed on ABC11.com Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET. It is also available regionally across the FanDuel Sports Network on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. ET; and on MASN Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. ET. It can also be viewed via the Duke Athletics YouTube Channel and archived on GoDuke.com.