Houston guard L.J. Cryer speaks with media during the pre-Elite Eight press conference, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
The Final Four is just one day away, and the Cougars are seeking their first men’s basketball national title in program history. Assistant sports editor Ashton Grissom and sports writer Maanav Gupta answered fan questions ahead of Houston’s Saturday matchup with Duke.
Is it possible, given the length in Duke’s rotation, that we see extended minutes from Terrance Arceneaux to try and combat that? – Alejandro Compean via X
Ashton: I think there is a good chance that redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux, senior guard Mylik Wilson and senior forward Ja’Vier Francis all get valuable minutes in the matchup against Duke because of their defense and rebounding ability.
Arceneaux stands at 6-foot-6 and is a talented rebounder. He also has a height advantage over most guards when he is on the floor, giving him an advantage on both sides of the ball.
Wilson is a smaller guard standing at 6-foot-3 but has an unbelievable vertical jump and averages 4.1 rebounds per game. His rebounding ability could earn him extended minutes against this lengthy Duke team.
Francis is a 6-foot-8 forward who averages 4.4 rebounds and almost a block per game. The talented senior has experience playing in the tournament with Houston’s run to the Sweet 16 just last season, so his height and experience could be valuable against the Blue Devils.
Can Duke’s freshmen handle the pressure of the Final Four? – Brayden Blauer via X
Ashton: The short answer is yes. Duke made it a priority early in the season to test their team, including their freshmen, by scheduling the No. 1 rated non-conference schedule in terms of difficulty. Their freshmen have been battle-tested with tough ranked matchups such as Auburn, Alabama, Kansas, Arizona and Louisville.
They also have three of the most talented freshman starters in the country with freshman guards Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and freshman center Khaman Maluach. Duke’s young talent has had plenty of time to rest up and game plan for a tough Houston defense, but it’s a style of defense that is near impossible to replicate.
What’s the most important stat to watch that could determine the outcome and can Duke handle Houston’s physicality on the boards? – Brayden Blauer via X
Ashton: With Duke being the No.1 offense facing off against Houston’s tough No. 1 defense, I believe the game will boil down to who wins the rebounding category.
The Cougars thrive on their offensive rebounds and getting more shot attempts than their opponents. Duke is also rated as the most efficient offensive team since the 1996-1997 season. Taking advantage of missed shots and limiting Duke’s shot attempts will be key for Houston to win this game.
Who has the coaching edge in this matchup, Kelvin Sampson or Jon Scheyer? -Brayden Blauer via X
Ashton: Both of these head coaches have proven to be elite based on their programs’ success in recent years.
With Duke’s loss of former head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who many consider to be the greatest coach of all time, many believed the Blue Devils would struggle with a new coach. Since the hire of Scheyer, Duke has an 89-21 overall record, including two ACC Tournament titles, an Elite Eight appearance in 2024 and now a Final Four appearance in his first three seasons as head coach.
With that being said, experience has proven to be very valuable when in big games late in the season. Sampson was here in 2021 and is in his 35th year of being a head coach with an experienced team. I will take the experience in this situation and say Sampson has an edge in this matchup.
Would this be Sampson’s biggest win as a head coach? – Brayden Blauer via X
Ashton: With Sampson having many memorable wins in his 35-year head coaching career, this is the biggest stage against one of the best teams in college basketball. With a win advancing Houston to their third ever National Championship game appearance since Phi Slama Jama in 1983 and 1984, and the opportunity to win UH their first ever title in men’s basketball, this would be by far the biggest win in Sampson’s career.
Are we 100% healthy? – rickit10 via X
Maanav: At this point in the season, everybody has their own nicks and bruises, but overall Houston has everyone available that they have played throughout the season.
Senior guard Ramon Walker Jr. is the only exception as he has been out since early in the year.
Graduate forward J’Wan Roberts talked about them getting their bodies right and getting treatment.
Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp mentioned how he feels as close to 100% healthy that he’s been.
The gap between playing Tennessee on Sunday to the final four game on Saturday gives this team plenty of time to get right.
How is Sampson going to prepare for this big game? – rickit10 via X
Maanav: The preparation for Houston does not change, no matter what game at what stage. The culture that the Cougars have developed through Sampson shows they treat every game as important as the next.
The preparation stays the same from when they played No. 16 seed SIUE to now against No. 1 seed Duke. Yes, the game plan will certainly be based on the matchups and what Sampson feels like can be a successful plan both defensively and on the offensive end.
How do you think the Coogs will handle the pressure? – rickit10 via X
Maanav: This is a completely different stage and atmosphere that Houston has faced all season, inside the Alamodome for the Final Four.
No. 1 seed Cougars have done well handling the pressure so far in the tournament. During the first two rounds, Houston dominated SIUE before getting the job done vs Gonzaga.
Once the Cougars got to Indianapolis, they were essentially faced with two road games to get to the final four. First in the Sweet 16 vs. Purdue, where their fans just had to go 70 miles to reach the stadium, and then in the Elite Eight vs. Tennessee, where the building was filled with Volunteers fans.
Houston was able to execute a game-winning play under pressure and stayed in complete control vs Tennessee, hitting multiple big shots in the second half.
The Cougars will have more fan support in San Antonio, but are coming in as 5.5 point underdogs.
Duke has been widely picked and will come in with more pressure than UH.
The team has done a great job ignoring all the outside noise and focusing on the task at hand. While it is a brighter stage, based on what we have seen, Houston should be able to handle it.
Who is the most likely star to rise in the big game coming up? – rickit10 via X
Maanav: Roberts, the leader and most experienced veteran of this team, is, I think poised to rise up for a potential big game.
While dealing with Duke’s size and all their players being above 6-foot-5, it certainly presents some challenges.
Roberts will have to deal with 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach in the paint along with star Cooper Flagg at 6-foot-9. Maluach’s wingspan is 7-foot-5, but Roberts along with Houston’s other bigs present a similar wingspan. The winningest player in program history, Roberts had success against an experienced 7-foot-2 graduate center Hunter Dickinson of Kansas, using his other hand to get his shots over him in the paint.
It will require his best effort of the season, but Roberts in his last season, will be giving his all in this and look to extend his career one more game.
Which is more valuable, talent or experience? -Sean Paul via X
Maanav: It’s hard to say which is more valuable, as both talent and experience are quite important to any team’s championship hopes.
In this battle, Duke has the five-star freshman talent in Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach, while Houston boasts the experience of Roberts, graduate guard L.J. Cryer, Francis, Wilson and Sharp. While Houston is most certainly talented in their own right with these standout athletes, Duke presents the best young talent in the country.
In this case, Houston’s experience can be something that is quite helpful on this big stage. Both Roberts and Cryer already have Final Four experience from 2021, so they know what to expect and how to handle the highs and lows. It allows Houston to remain focused even during rough patches.
Houston’s defense has the potential to disrupt or change the flow of Duke, and while the talent is there, can they handle this new challenge on the biggest stage?
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