Houston dominates Tennessee, punches ticket to Final Four

The Houston Cougars' formidable defence helped support the Tennessee Volunteers successful cheque during Sunday's Elite Eight game. 

The nation's stingiest defence held the Vols to 15 first-half points, the fewest successful an Elite Eight crippled since 1979. The 69-50 triumph secured Houston's archetypal travel to the Final Four since 2021.

The Cougars person present precocious to the Final Four 7 times passim the program's history. The triumph besides extended the country's longest progressive winning streak to 17 games.

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Mar 30, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; The Houston Cougars are shown aft defeating the Tennessee Volunteers during the Midwest Regional last connected Sunday. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

Houston's past 2 runs successful the NCAA men's tourney ended successful the Sweet 16, but this clip manager Kelvin Sampson’s squad is inactive dancing and inactive has a accidental astatine winning the program's archetypal nationalist title.

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The Cougars volition look Duke connected Saturday successful San Antonio, conscionable a 3 1/2-hour thrust from campus. The Cougars person reached the nationalist rubric crippled twice, losing successful 1983 to North Carolina State and successful 1984 to Georgetown successful the Phi Slama Jama era.

Houston defender Emanuel Sharp made 4 3-pointers and Joseph Tugler, who made the assistance connected Friday's decisive handbasket against Purdue, had 9 rebounds.

Houston's J'Wan Roberts (13) celebrates successful the last minutes of a triumph implicit Tennessee successful the Elite Eight circular of the NCAA assemblage hoops tourney Sunday successful Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey scored 17 points apiece for the second-seeded Volunteers, who again fell abbreviated of the program’s archetypal Final Four appearance. Coach Rick Barnes' squad was besides eliminated successful a determination last past year.

Houston caput manager Kelvin Sampson holds the Midwest Region title trophy aft defeating Tennessee successful the Elite Eight circular of the NCAA assemblage hoops tourney connected Sunday. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

When the Vols had a accidental to chopped the shortage to azygous digits successful the 2nd half, the nation’s apical 3-point shooting squad made 3 consecutive from beyond the arc to widen the borderline to 17.

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Even successful the 2nd half, Tennessee struggled. The defence that outplayed Kentucky truthful thoroughly successful the erstwhile circular couldn’t get capable stops and portion the discourtesy improved, it wasn't bully enough.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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