Houston basketball is Final Four bound with a dominant 19-point win over Tennessee

The University of Houston basketball program is headed back to the Final Four for the first time since 2021 and the second time since 1984 after a 69-50 wire-to-wire win over Tennessee in the elite eight. 

This marks the seventh Final Four appearance in Houston basketball program history and head coach Kelvin Sampson’s third of his career. 

The Cougars jumped out of the gate with a 19-6 lead through the first 10 minutes and never looked back, constantly showcasing their fierce defensive intensity that the Volunteers just could not handle. 

“I feel like we always want to throw the first punch,” junior point guard Milos Uzan said. 

Houston had a huge 19-point lead at halftime and ultimately won by the same margin, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing throughout the second half. When Tennessee cut the lead down to 10 with 5:42 to go, the crowd filled with Volunteer fans got involved and the momentum seemingly shifted a bit. 

It wasn’t for long however, as junior guard Emanuel Sharp came up clutch for Houston with back-to-back threes as the Cougars got the lead back up to 14. 

“When they started pressing us, my message in the huddle was, be fearless. Don’t be afraid to take a big shot and don’t be afraid to miss it either,” assistant head coach Kellen Sampson said. “We felt like we were the better team, don’t run from the moment.”

Graduate guard Mylik Wilson, as left wide open on the following possession & then drained another three that put a dagger through Tennessee hopes as the lead jumped to 17 at 59-42 with under three minutes to go. Wilson, who came in a game-time decision after exiting the second half early vs Purdue and didn’t practice, felt good to play and ended up knocking down the final punch. 

“Mylik is one of the most under-appreciated players on the team, one of the most underrated players in the country. We appreciate all the little things he did and I’m glad he had a moment like that to hit a big shot for us,” graduate guard LJ Cryer said.

Emanuel Sharp definitely listened to his assistant coach as he mentioned postgame how they all played fearless. Sharp also gave a special shoutout to Wilson for hitting that big three to put the game away. 

“He came out here and balled out,” Sharp said. 

Right when the buzzer sounded, Kellen and Kelvin Sampson had a special hug as they were headed to their second final four in five years. The father-son duo experienced another incredible achievement in a program they lead as a family. 

“To stand on that sideline and to be able to do this with him, I’m going to treasure this the rest of my life,” assistant head coach Kellen Sampson said about being with his father in these moments. “To hit this mark, it’s pretty satisfying.”

CBS sports broadcaster and Houston alum Jim Nantz was in attendance for the game and according to reports, drove four hours in the morning to watch his beloved Cougars head back to the Final Four. 

This was a great performance, masterful, and really it was all won in the first half,” Nantz said. “To have that game in an arena that was 20-1 orange, pretty powerful.”

Cryer was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, and added the final 3-pointer with 1:49 left as the cherry on top. Cryer bounced back from a 2/13 shooting night on Friday in the elite eight. Sharp ended up with 16 points, 14 of them scored in the second half to claim Midwest regional most outstanding player. Off the bench, sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux added eight points. 

“I thought Terrance Arceneaux coming off the bench early, when J’Wan got his second bound allowed me to leave J’Wan over there so he could be ready for the second half,” Sampson said. 

The Cougars top rated defense forced the worst shooting performance in the history of Tennessee basketball. The Volunteers shot 29% overall from the field and were just 5/29 from beyond the arc (17%). Houston also blocked four shots and forced seven steals. In a typical UH basketball culture win, the Cougars added 19 second chance points on 14 offensive rebounds. 

“I think going 19-1 in the Big 12, 10-0 on the road prepared us for this. The Purdue game was kind of like a road game. The Tennessee game was kind of like a road game, too,” Sampson said. 

The Cougars only had one turnover in the first half and built up their largest lead of 22 points with 53 seconds to go in that period. 

15 points was the lowest allowed by Houston in the first half in program history, with the next lowest being 16 by SIUE & Longwood in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament. It was also the lowest halftime score by a top-two seed since 1979 when seeding began. 

“The reason why we have been so good over the years is we’ve developed a great culture that our seniors adopt and make sure that our young kids and new kids buy into it. We’re kind of a home-grown program,” Sampson said. 

Next Up

Houston basketball will take on Duke in the final four at 7:49 pm on Saturday inside Alamodome in San Antonio. UH had to play two unofficial road games, first in the Sweet 16 vs Purdue and then against a strong Tennessee contingent in the elite eight. That was never something that bothered UH because of their undefeated road record.

“We’ll jump on the interstate and head down to San Antonio. That’s why you don’t complain because it can flip the other way,” Sampson said. 

A Text from Pop

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reached out to Sampson after the victory as the two are very close friends. Sampson was hired by the Spurs back in 2008 in an advisory role after getting fired at Indiana. Popovich immediately called him and hired him without any questions, a moment that greatly shaped his career from that point on. 

“I’m the happiest person in San Antonio today,” Sampson read from the text. “But not as happy as you, Karen, and the family, and your whole program built with good character and love. Bravo my friend, enjoy the win with a good red.”