Houston Cougars face Purdue in Sweet 16
Why it matters: A win advances the Coogs to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2022 and continues the road to their first national championship contention since the Phi Slama Jama era of the 1980s.
Catch up quick: The Cougars (32-4) fought their way through the first two rounds of this year's tournament, beating Gonzaga and SIU Edwardsville to extend their win streak to 15 games heading into Friday's contest.
Flashback: The team has played in March Madness since 2018 and secured its third-straight No. 1-seed berth this year.
They made it to the Final Four in 2021, the Elite Eight in 2022, and Sweet 16 in both 2023 and 2024.
Friction point: Purdue's promising offense will be quite the test for the Cougars' stellar defense.
The game is at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, a quick 80-mile trip for Purdue and their fans.
While the stadium is technically a neutral site, the setting essentially hands a home-court advantage to Purdue.
The Boilermakers have won eight of 11 games played in Indianapolis.
What they're saying:"They'd be tough to beat no matter where we play them," Coogs head coach Kelvin Sampson said Thursday. "We've got a tremendous challenge in front of us."
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