Duke vs Houston basketball injury report and prediction, March 29 ahead of NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 2024

The Duke Blue Devils play the Houston Cougars on Friday in the Sweet 16 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Duke is a No. 4 seed and will take on the No. 1 seed Houston. The Blue Devils have blown out Vermont and James Madison to advance to the Sweet 16, while the Cougars beat Longwood and then Texas A&M in overtime to reach the Sweet 16.

Both teams enter the matchup with some key injuries.

Duke vs. Houston basketball injuries

Jaylen Blakes, Duke

Jaylen Blakes will play in tonight's Sweet 16 matchup after he had a "scary" fall during Duke's second-round win.

“That was really scary in the moment. Fortunately, Jaylen got back the next morning,” Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said, via ON3. “You always wonder the next day how they feel and with a fall like that, and Jaylen has been great. He’s felt really good. We didn’t do much as a team on Monday anyway, so it gave him a chance to get back, but he’s been full-go ever since, and he’ll be ready for tomorrow night.”

Blakes is averaging 1.9 points in 29 games with Duke this season.

Joseph Tugler, Houston

Joseph Tugler is out for the season with a foot injury.

Tugler hasn't played for Houston since Feb. 27, as he was shut down for the season with a broken foot.

Tugler averaged 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 28 games for the Cougars in his freshman season.

Caleb Foster, Duke

Caleb Foster is out for the season with a foot injury.

Foster hasn't played for the Blue Devils since Feb. 24 due to a foot fracture, keeping him out for the rest of the season.

Before the injury, Foster was averaging 7.7 points and 2.4 rebounds as a freshman guard in 27 games.

Jeremy Roach, Duke

Jeremy Roach is expected to play on Friday after dislocating his finger.

"It's still pretty sore right now," Roach said to TMZ, "but it's not gonna affect me for Friday."

Roach is averaging 14 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 33 games.

Duke vs. Houston basketball prediction

Duke is a four-point underdog against Houston on Friday night, with the over/under set at 134.5 points.

Houston will need to play its best defense in this spot, as Duke's size is a big problem for the Cougars. Houston is a small team and will have trouble in the post, as this is a good spot for the Blue Devils to knock off another No. 1 seed.

Prediction: Duke wins.