Houston dominates Tennessee en route to Final Four, will play Duke

On Sunday, 1-seed Houston handily defeated 2-seed Tennessee 69-50 to advance to the Final Four. It’s the first time the Cougars have reached the Final Four since 2021 and the seventh time in program history.

Houston jumped out to an early lead against the Volunteers and never looked back. The Cougars held Tennessee to just 15 points in the first half. It’s the least amount of points a top-2 seed has ever scored in a first half in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, Houston’s defense wasn’t its only strength. The Cougars were dominant on the glass, hauling in 14 offensive rebounds compared to Tennessee’s 12.

Houston didn’t allow its extra efforts to go to waste. The Cougars racked up 19 second-chance points against the Volunteers and ultimately recorded 14 more shots in the win.

Houston’s backcourt duo of LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp led the way for the Cougars. Cryer stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Not to be outdone, Sharp notched 16 points, including a pair of back-to-back clutch triples to ice the game.

“We all played fearless,” Sharp said after the win. “… We knew we had to come out and deliver the first punch and that’s what we did. We came out with crazy intensity and that’s what this team does.”

With the win, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson improved his all-time record against Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes to 13-8. Sampson’s game plan worked to perfection, holding Tennessee to just 29% shooting from the field and 17% shooting from beyond the arc.

Jordan Gainey was one of the few bright spots for the Volunteers. He finished the game with 17 points on 6-12 shooting. Lanier also recorded 17 points but shot a poor 4-18 from the floor and 2-12 from downtown.

Houston will have six days to prepare to face off against 1-seed Duke on April 5. The Final Four showdown will air live on CBS. Kelvin Sampson couldn’t be prouder of his team.

“It’s all about the journey to me,” Sampson said. “We started the first week of June. Our guys out there running 100-yard dashes on the baseball field at 6:30 when nobody was around. But we always talk about preparing in the moments when nobody is around, for the moments when everybody is.

“And now everybody knows about Houston basketball. I’m proud of our culture, proud of our past players, proud of our current players, just proud of our program. We represent an awesome city and an awesome university and I couldn’t be more proud.”