The Houston Cougars men's basketball team faces a tough challenge against the Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four Saturday night at San Antonio's Alamodome. Why it matters: A win advances the Coogs to their first national championship game since 1984 when Phi Slama Jama fell to Georgetown.

The University of Houston Cougars men's basketball team left for San Antonio on Wednesday, receiving a spirited send-off from fans as they prepare for the Final Four.

The University of Houston is playing just 200 miles from campus, but tickets to get inside San Antonio's Alamodome are expensive.

The four teams participating in the Final Four this weekend in San Antonio are a perfect microcosm of the new era in college basketball. While a team such as Duke has built its roster with former blue-chip recruits such as Cooper Flagg,

In 2025, the crown will go to a No. 1 seed, as all four top dogs — Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston — advanced to the Final Four for the second time in tournament history. The Blue Devils face the Cougars, while the Tigers take on the Gators, both in San Antonio on April 5.

Auburn defeated Michigan State on Sunday to enter one of the most challenging Final Four fields in recent memory. Auburn joins Florida, Duke, and Houston in San Antonio, Texas, for the final weekend of the college basketball season.