Houston has secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year, set to begin their journey against SIU-Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, this Thursday.
The Big 12’s Cougars, boasting a 30-4 record, have consistently reached the second weekend of the tournament over the past five years; however, their campaigns ended in the Sweet 16 in the last two seasons.
If Houston triumphs over the Ohio Valley Conference champions, who hold a 22-11 record, they will face a formidable contender in the second round. This matchup will be against either Gonzaga, with a 25-8 record, or Georgia, who comes in with a 20-12 record, both competing in the 8-9 Midwest Region showdown.
Thursday’s games in Providence, Rhode Island, will see No. 5 seed Clemson squaring off against No. 12 McNeese, both teams possessing identical 27-6 records, alongside No. 4 Purdue taking on No. 13 High Point, with records of 22-11 and 29-5, respectively.
Meanwhile, Texas and Xavier are set to compete in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to face No. 6 Illinois, holding a 21-12 record, on Friday in Milwaukee. Here, No. 3 Kentucky with a 22-11 record will confront No. 14 Troy, who stands at 23-10.
In Lexington, Kentucky, two notable games will take place on Thursday. No. 7 UCLA, logging a 22-10 record, is set to meet No. 10 Utah State, who come in strong at 26-7. No. 2 Tennessee, boasting a 27-7 record, is paired against No. 15 Wofford, holding a 19-15 record.
Helmed for 11 years by Coach Kelvin Sampson, Houston has emerged as the most successful program nationwide over the past seven seasons.
Their impressive tally of 211 victories since 2018-19 leads the country, marking them as a top-three seed five times in six tournaments. Remarkably, they are only the third team since 2009 to earn a No. 1 seed for three continuous years.
Despite their consistent success, the program continues to aspire to the glory of the early 1980s Phi Slama Jama era, during which Guy Lewis’ Cougars made consecutive Final Four appearances, spearheaded by legends Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Michael Young.
Sampson’s present team might lack the pizzazz of that renowned era, yet they have consistently notched victories, achieving at least 30 wins in each of the last four seasons.
Entering the tournament, they are riding a 13-game winning streak, having won 26 of their last 27 games, and have swept both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles.
The Cougars excel defensively, ranking first nationwide in efficiency by allowing an average of 58.5 points per game.
They stand as the sole team to restrict opponents to under 60 points per game for five consecutive seasons. Noteworthy performers include LJ Cryer, one of four players averaging double figures, hitting a Big 12-best 42.8% of his three-point shots, as well as Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, who both shoot over 40% from beyond the arc. As a team, they lead the Big 12 and hold fourth place nationally with a 39.8% rate.
J’Wan Roberts, the team’s leading rebounder, has been sidelined with a sprained ankle for the past two games, with no update on his condition provided by Sampson.
High Point, marking their tournament debut, could potentially pose a challenge for Purdue in the opening round. The 13th-seeded Panthers, having won both the Big South regular-season and tournament championships, approach Thursday’s game in Providence, Rhode Island, with a robust 14-game victory streak.
Purdue enters this phase on a less favorable note, having lost six of their last nine games, including a string of four consecutive defeats in February and an 18-point loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament’s second round.
Utah State, stepping into their third consecutive tournament with a third different head coach, has been seeded No. 10 under the guidance of Jerrod Calhoun. Boasting a 26-7 record, they prepare to face UCLA after making it to the second round last year under Danny Sprinkle, who then transitioned to the Washington program.
Ryan Odom, responsible for guiding Utah State to the 2023 tournament, subsequently moved on to VCU.
Gonzaga, holding their lowest seeding since being an 11th seed in 2016, faces a significant challenge in advancing to their record 10th consecutive Sweet 16.
To reach this milestone, they must surmount No. 8 Georgia and likely, No. 1 Houston. Known for their scoring prowess, averaging 86.6 points per game, the Zags lean on Ryan Nembhard, who leads the nation with a remarkable 9.8 assists per game.
