INDIANAPOLIS — Houston’s relentless protection confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Closing 4 and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 factors in a 69-50 victory on Sunday.
Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 factors after halftime for top-seeded Houston (34-4) and was named the area’s Most Excellent Participant.
Houston prolonged the nation’s longest energetic successful streak to 17 video games. The Cougars had been eradicated as a No. 1 seed within the Candy 16 in every of the previous two years, however this time coach Kelvin Sampson’s group has a shot on the program’s first nationwide title.
The Cougars will face Cooper Flagg and five-time nationwide champ Duke on Saturday in San Antonio — only a 3 1/2-hour drive from campus.
The Cougars have reached the nationwide title recreation twice, dropping in 1983 to North Carolina State and in 1984 to Georgetown within the Phi Slama Jama period.
Sharp made 4 3-pointers and Joseph Tugler, who made the help on Friday’s decisive basket in opposition to Purdue, had 9 rebounds.
Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey scored 17 factors apiece for the second-seeded Volunteers (30-8), who once more fell wanting this system’s first Closing 4 look. Coach Rick Barnes’ group was additionally eradicated in a regional ultimate final yr.
Houston gained this one with a well-known method.
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The nation’s stingiest protection held the Vols to fifteen first-half factors, the fewest in an Elite Eight recreation since 1979. It additionally was the bottom first-half scoring complete by any No. 1 or No. 2 seed in a March Insanity recreation since seeding started in 1979.
When the Vols had an opportunity to chop the deficit to single digits within the second half, the nation’s prime 3-point taking pictures group made three straight from past the arc to increase the margin to 17.
How dangerous was it for the Vols?
They made solely 6 of 28 pictures within the first 20 minutes and missed their first 14 3s earlier than Zakai Ziegler lastly ended the drought with 38 seconds left, chopping the deficit to 34-15 — far too massive a deficit to come back again from. Tourney groups that trailed by 19 or extra factors at halftime are actually 0-244 all-time.
Even within the second half, Tennessee struggled.
The protection that outplayed Kentucky so completely within the earlier spherical couldn’t get sufficient stops and whereas the offense improved, it wasn’t ok.
Tennessee’s prime scorers, Chaz Lanier and Zeigler, have been a mixed 5 of 27 from the sector. Zeigler had 5 factors and 5 assists.
