With 5:42 remaining on the clock at Lucas Oil Stadium, what was once a 22-point Houston lead over Tennessee in the Midwest Regional Final was trimmed down to 10. Less than 48 hours after the Cougars allowed Purdue to overcome a double-digit deficit to tie the game in the final minute, it was only human nature to think that the Vols could get back into it.
That’s when Emanuel Sharp reminded the nation why this version of the Cougars is different. Sure, they have the No. 1-ranked defense in America, but this group has the best variety of perimeter scoring options in the Kelvin Sampson era. Sharp buried two triples in the span of 47 seconds to push Houston’s lead back to 14, then, after a stop, fifth-year senior Mylik Wilson drilled his only 3 of the game, a dagger in a 69-50 victory over the Volunteers to book Houston’s first Final Four trip since 2021.
The Cougars relied on their toughness in a historic first half, opening the game on a 17-4 run and holding Tennessee to just one made field goal in the first nine minutes. L.J. Cryer responded from a poor shooting performance against Purdue, hitting 4-of-8 in the opening 20 minutes. The Cougars shot 41% from the floor en route to a 34-15 lead at the break, holding Tennessee to the lowest first-half total by a 1 or 2 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
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A year after falling to Duke in the Sweet 16, there will be a sense of unfinished business for Sampson and the Cougars in a Final Four showdown with Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils. In addition to that storyline, it will also be the nation’s top-ranked defense vs. Cooper Flagg and the nation’s top-ranked offense.
After starting the season 4-3, Houston has gone 30-1 since, with the team’s lone defeat coming to a Texas Tech team that just missed out on being in the Final Four.
“Now, everybody knows about Houston basketball,” Sampson told CBS following the win. “This group of guys allows me to coach them the way I want to coach them. They care more about winning than they do statistics. They choose to be coached hard. That’s why I love them.”
The Cougars made it hard all day for Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier, forcing Lanier to take 18 shots to get 17 points and locking Zeigler up to the tune of 1-of-9 shooting from the floor. Houston held Tennessee to just 29% shooting, which marked the worst shooting performance by the Volunteers in an NCAA Tournament game.
Houston’s defense landed the opening haymaker. The offense delivered the dagger. And a program that has been as strong as any in college hoops with a coach who’s up there with the very best to never capture a national title has a real shot at achieving the feat in San Antonio next weekend.
What a story it would be for Sampson to get his 800th career win next Monday night and deliver a school with a rich history its long-awaited crown.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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