The second game of the Sweet 16 in the South Region will feature the 4-seed Duke Blue Devils facing the 1-seed Houston Cougars at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:39 PM ET on Friday night and will air on CBS.

The Duke Blue Devils have looked dominant in their first two games of the 2024 NCAA tournament and have won both by double-digits. Their defense played a pivotal role in their success, as they have allowed an average of 51 points per game in the tournament and have won by an average margin of 27.5 points per game, including Sunday's 38-point win against the 12-seed James Madison Dukes by a score of 93-55. 

The Blue Devils never trailed the Dukes after starting the game on a 7-2 run and led by 22 points at halftime by a score of 47-25. Duke has only trailed for just under two minutes the entire tournament. The last time the Blue Devils trailed in a game in this year's tournament was at the 14:42 mark in the first half of their first game in the tournament against the Vermont Catamounts. 

The Duke Blue Devils are one of the bluebloods of college basketball and have been one of the best teams in the NCAA Tournament. They have made 33 trips to the Sweet 16 and advanced to the Elite Eight in 23 of the 32 visits before this season. They have a record of 23-9 in the Sweet 16 all-time and will look to advance to their 24^th Elite Eight with a win against the Houston Cougars.

The Houston Cougars are the regular season champions in the Big 12 Conference and have been the best defensive team in college basketball this season, as they are allowing the fewest points per game with an average of 57.72 points allowed per game. 

Their offensive efficiency has also improved during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as they have averaged 93 points per game in the tournament this season. However, the Cougars had to survive a scare in the 2^nd round against the Texas A&M Aggies, in a game the Cougars looked to be in firm control of as they led the Aggies 82-71 with 1:38 left to go in the game but with awful free throw shooting Houston allowed Texas A&M to go on a 15-4 run to close out the game and send the game into overtime. 

Houston would control the game once overtime started. They started on a 7-2 run and did not trail the Aggies after Emanuel Sharp made a three-point shot at the beginning of the overtime period. 

The Houston Cougars have advanced to the Sweet 16 in five straight NCAA tournaments but have only advanced to two Elite Eights of the previous four appearances, with their last win in the Sweet 16 coming in the 2022 NCAA Tournament against the Arizona Wildcats by a score of 72-60. However, Houston would lose in the Elite Eight against the Villanova Wildcats by a score of 44-50. The Houston Cougars will look to advance to their 3^rd Elite Eight in the last five NCAA tournaments when they face the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in the South region on Friday night.

JustBet has the Houston Cougars listed as 4-point favorites against the Duke Blue Devils in the 2024 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 on Friday night. Duke has covered the spread in both of their matchups in the tournament, while Houston has a record of 1-1 ATS in the tournament this season.

Duke has looked like the more dominant team in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, winning by an average margin of 27.5 points per game. Houston struggled against a good shooting team in the Texas A&M Aggies and had to go into overtime to secure the win. 

The Blue Devils have one of the best Sweet 16 records in tournament history, with a record of 23-9. Take the moneyline with the Duke Blue Devils when they face the Houston Cougars in the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday night.