For the first time in five years, the Cougars are heading back to the Final Four and will match up with the Duke Blue Devils.

This is the second consecutive year the two basketball powerhouses have faced off in the NCAA tournament. Last season, Houston was favored to win but lost Jamal Shead early in the game and came up just short during their Sweet 16 matchup with Duke.

This year, the roles are reversed, as the Blue Devils are a -4.5 favorite to win and have been playing at an elite level over the last few weeks, as they have outscored their last four opponents 367-273.

Defeating Duke will be no easy task, but Houston has some key factors to give them the edge they need to walk away victorious.

Offense and roster depth

Throughout this tournament, Houston has counted on multiple players to control the game scoring-wise and has become one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

Senior guard LJ Cryer has been the Cougars' leading scorer all season, averaging 15.4 points per game, and has become one of the leaders of this team.

Houston also has forward Emanuel Sharp and guard Milos Uzan, who have been massive offensive contributors throughout this season.

Senior forward J’Wan Roberts and sophomore Joseph Tugler round out the rest of the starting rotation and provide the Cougars with elite defense.

Houston also has Ja’Vier Francis, Terrance Arceneaux and Mylik Wilson as key bench pieces to give the team the depth it needs to complete at a high level.

Having multiple players who score consistently, and an elite defense will be the primary keys to defeating Duke.

Contain Cooper Flagg

Duke’s freshman forward has been by far and away the best college basketball player this season and is on pace to become one of the greatest one-and-done athletes of this era. The 18-year-old leads the Blue Devils in points, assists, rebounds and steals and is the consensus number-one overall prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Slowing down Duke’s best player will not be easy, as the freshman forward has averaged 19.5 points per game in the tournament, but Houston will have to find a way to limit his production to come away victorious.

Houston forward J'Wan Roberts will be Flagg's primary defender, and Tugler and Francis will provide additional coverage to limit him offensively.

The Blue Devils also have guards Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor, who can take over a game scoring-wise if Flagg is having an off night.

Cryer and Uzan are elite defenders who can provide excellent coverage to either of Duke's guards.

Slowing down the Blue Devils will take an all-hands-on-deck defensive approach to limit their offensive production.

Houston’s previous game saw them hold Tennessee to score only 50 points and forced them to shoot a minuscule 17.2% from beyond the arch.

The Cougars still have the nation's best defense and will be well-prepared to slow down Duke’s high-powered offense.

Trust the man who brought you here

The last time Houston made it this far in the tournament was in 2021. At that time, head coach Kelvin Sampson was building a basketball program from the ground up and just starting to see the fruits of his labor come to fruition.

The former Indiana coach took a team with little to no tournament experience to the Final Four before falling short to the eventual champion Baylor.

Since then, the 69-year-old has taken multiple teams deep into the tournament thanks to his defensive-first mentality and getting the best effort out of players.

“The most overrated thing is that you're a good defensive team because of your coaching”. Sampson said. “No. You're a good defensive team because you care and because it's important to you.”

Sampson has become one of the best coaches in the nation, and this year, his team is well-positioned to make a run at Houston’s first-ever men's basketball championship.

Not only is this one of the deepest rosters the Cougars have ever had, but it's also one of the most experienced teams Sampson has coached in his career.

Everyone on this squad (except Uzan) has played in the NCAA Tournament at least once before this year.

This experience, combined with a coach who has been here before, is a perfect recipe for success and the key to deafening the Blue Devils.

The Houston — Duke game will take place on Saturday at 7:49 pm. The winner will play either Auburn or Florida in the championship game on Monday.