On Sunday afternoon, Houston and Tennessee clashed in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars faced off against Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2025 NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8 round. Houston came out of the gates hot, blowing Tennessee out in the first half, 34-15. The Volunteers didn’t go away quietly, however, cutting the game to nearly single digits in the second half. Ultimately, Houston outlasted Tennessee’s charge and advanced to the Final Four to face Duke.
With that, here are the top three takeaways from Houston’s 69-50 win over the Volunteers.
Sharp Comes Through
It’s no secret that Houston dominated Tennessee early, but such is the case for most NCAA Tournament games, Tennessee made its run and cut the 19-point lead to 10 with six minutes to go.
When the Cougars needed a hero, Emanuel Sharp stepped up, connecting on three three-point shots in the game’s final five minutes. Sharp had caught some heat throughout the season after sustaining an injury and didn’t quite appear to be himself. That storyline was put to bed in the NCAA Tournament, and Sharp has ultimately returned to form.
In addition to Sharp’s dominant performance, the Cougars sealed the deal with their patented defense. Tennessee’s 15 first-half points were the lowest in NCAA Tournament history by a team with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in any round of March Madness.
Free Throws and Fouls
While the Houston Cougars had things in the bag early, the officiating crew made some choice calls that kept the Volunteers around.
In the second half alone, Houston committed a total of 12 fouls, while Tennessee recorded just three until the final three minutes of regulation, when Rick Barnes’ squad elected to trap and foul to stop the clock. Houston was whistled for 16 fouls, compared to Tennessee’s nine in the game, and finished with four attempts from the three-point line, while Tennessee had a total of 20.
In the end, Houston survived the tough whistle and will keep dancing.
Final Four!
What a game from Houston!
Their reward? An exciting Final Four matchup against Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The matchup features the best of both worlds, with the Cougars being the nation’s best defense, surrendering just 58.5 points per game, and the Blue Devils being the nation’s ninth-best offense posting 83.7 points per game.
With stars like Flagg, LJ Cryer, Milos Uzan, Kon Knueppel, J’Wan Roberts, and more, this one looks like one for the history books.
