Five-star prospect picks Houston to defeat Duke in Final Four matchup

BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ

NEW YORK — Duke remains the odds-on favorite to win the National Championship out of the Final Four contestants, but unsurprisingly, Chris Cenac Jr. has Duke falling before the championship game.

The Five-star recruit suiting up for the McDonald’s All-American game on Tuesday (9 p.m., ESPN2) will be suiting up for Houston next season, but believes the Cougars have what it takes to win it all this year.

“I think Duke is going to get their hardest game of the year with Houston and their defense,” Cenac told ZAGSBLOG. ” It’s not going to be easy, but I feel like we’re going to win it.”

No surprise: Houston commit Chris Cenac Jr. is picking the Cougars over Duke

"I think duke is going to get the hardest game of the year with Houston.

"It’s not going to be easy but I feel like they’re going to win it." https://t.co/VQpi39Yavx

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 31, 2025

Saturday’s Final Four matchup will be a battle of styles between the country’s No. 1-rated offense (Duke) and No. 1-rated defense (Houston). Kelvin Sampson’s team showed off its defensive prowess when it held No. 2 Tennessee to a 15-point first half in the Elite 8. It was the fewest points by a top-2 seed in a first half in NCAA Tournament history.

The game will be a rematch of a Sweet 16 game from a year ago as the two No. 1 teams from their respective brackets clash in the Alamodome in San Antonio (8:49 p.m., CBS Sports). Time will tell whether or not Cenac Jr was on to something with his future squad.

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