Defense wins championships.
Heading into their Final Four matchup, Houston had KenPom’s top-ranked defense, and Duke had KenPom’s top-ranked offense.
Duke’s offense wasn’t just good; it was the highest-rated offense KenPom has ever tracked.
Both teams are elite on both sides of the ball, as Houston also had the No. 10 offense, and Duke boasted the No. 5 defense.
But everyone was paying attention to strength vs strength. And defense came out on top.
Which hasn’t been the case recently. Take a look at the defensive rankings of the last few champs (per KenPom):
2024 UConn: No. 4 defense
2023 UConn: No. 7 defense
2022 Kansas: No. 17 defense
2021 Baylor: No. 22 defense
2019 Virginia: No. 5 defense
2018 Villanova: No. 11 defense
In fact, the top-ranked defense hasn’t won the title since 2013 Louisville. Houston just needs 1 more win, and can prove once again that defense does win championships.