Houston’s Defense Powers Cougars to Final Four, Defeating Tennessee

INDIANAPOLIS — Houston’s defense dismantled Tennessee, leading the Cougars to a 69-50 victory on Sunday, securing their seventh Final Four appearance and first since 2021. L.J. Cryer scored 17 points and Emanuel Sharp added 16 — 14 of which came in the second half — en route to being named the region’s Most Outstanding Player.

With this win, top-seeded Houston (34-4) extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 17 games. Under coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars are vying for their first national title, after suffering Sweet 16 eliminations in the last two tournaments.

The victory sets up a matchup against five-time national champion Duke on Saturday in San Antonio, a mere 3.5-hour drive from Houston’s campus, which could provide a home court advantage.

Houston’s past Final Four appearances were in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, and 2021. The Cougars achieved national runner-up status during the Phi Slama Jama era but have yet to capture a title.

Sharp’s performance was crucial, including four 3-pointers, while Joseph Tugler contributed nine rebounds. Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey each scored 17 points for the second-seeded Volunteers (30-8), who fell short again of their first Final Four appearance.

The Cougars employed a familiar strategy, relying on the nation’s stingiest defense, which limited Tennessee to just 15 first-half points. This marked the fewest points scored by a team in an Elite Eight since 1979 and the lowest for any No. 1 or No. 2 seed since the introduction of seeding.

Tennessee struggled significantly, connecting on only 6 of 28 first-half shots and missing their first 14 attempts from 3-point range. Zakai Ziegler finally hit a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the half, bringing the score to 34-15, a gap too large to close.

History suggests a comeback was highly unlikely, as teams trailing by 19 or more points at halftime have never won (0-244 all time). Despite improvements in the second half, the Volunteers could not find their rhythm, with top scorers Lanier and Ziegler combining for a mere 5 of 27 shooting.

Ziegler finished with five points and five assists while Houston’s defense was relentless throughout the matchup. Houston’s coach noted, “Our defense is what gets us where we need to be; it’s our backbone.”

Disclosure: Houston Public Media is licensed to the University of Houston System. The university does not influence the editorial decisions of Houston Public Media.