Houston a top seed for 3rd straight year, looks to make deeper run after 2 Sweet 16 losses in a row
Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year Sunday and will open against first-time qualifier SIU-Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.
The Cougars (30-4) have advanced to at least the second weekend of five straight NCAAs but were knocked out in the Sweet 16 the last two years.
Houston, assuming it beats the Ohio Valley Conference champion Cougars (22-11), would face a big challenge in the second round against the winner of an 8-9 matchup between Gonzaga (25-8) and Georgia (20-12).
Thursday games in Providence pit No. 5 seed Clemson (27-6) against No. 12 McNeese (27-6) and No. 4 Purdue (22-11) against No. 13 High Point (29-5).
Texas and Xavier will meet in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner playing No. 6 Illinois (21-12) on Friday in Milwaukee, where No. 3 Kentucky (22-11) meets No. 14 Troy (23-10).
In Thursday games in Lexington, Kentucky, No. 7 UCLA (22-10) meets No. 10 Utah State (26-7) and No. 2 Tennessee (27-7) faces No. 15 Wofford (19-15).
Houston 11th-year coach Kelvin Sampson has built the winningest program in the country the last seven seasons. Their 211 wins since 2018-19 lead the nation; they're a top-three seed for the fifth time in six tournaments; and they're only the third team since 2009 to be a No. 1 three straight years.
For all the success, the program standard remains the Phi Slama Jama era of the early 1980s. Guy Lewis' Cougars appeared in three straight Final Fours with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Michael Young leading the way.
Sampson's Cougars aren't nearly as flashy, but the wins have come in bunches. They've won at least 30 games in four straight seasons. They enter the tournament having won 13 straight games and 26 of 27 and with a sweep of the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships.
The Cougars, who rank first in the nation in defensive efficiency and give up 58.5 points per game, are the only team in the nation to have allowed fewer than 60 per game for five straight seasons. They also have the Big 12 defensive player of the year in Joseph Tugler.
LJ Cryer is among four players averaging in double figures. He's scoring 15.3 points per game and shooting a Big 12-best 42.8% on 3s. Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan also shoot better than 40% from distance, and the Cougars lead the Big 12 and are fourth nationally at 39.8%.
Leading rebounder J'Wan Roberts has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle. Sampson has not updated Roberts' status.
Last season, the Cougars lost 54-51 to Duke in a regional semifinal, playing the entire second half without All-America point guard Jamal Shead after he turned an ankle. The year before, they were beaten 89-75 by a hot Miami team that was on a run to its first Final Four.
In 2022, the Cougars knocked out top-seeded Arizona in the Sweet 16 but made just 1 of 20 3-pointers in their 50-44 Elite Eight loss to Villanova. Their only Final Four appearance under Sampson came in 2021, with Baylor blowing them out 78-59.
This year's Final Four is in San Antonio, a 3 1/2-hour drive from Houston's campus.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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