No. 1 Houston Avoids No. 9 Texas A&M's Upset Bid; OT Thriller Wows March Madness Fans
March 25, 2024
Houston is heading to the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive NCAA tournament.
The No. 1 Cougars held off No. 9 Texas A&M 100-95 Sunday night in an overtime thriller to advance to the second weekend, where they will take on No. 4 Duke. The Blue Devils beat No. 12 James Madison in the Round of 32.
It was a win-by-committee game for Houston, which had four players in double figures on the night. Sophomore guard Emmanuel Sharp led the way with 30 points, L.J. Cryer put up 20, Jamal Shead had 21 and J'Wan Roberts scored 13.
Houston went into the break with a 36-28 lead and Texas A&M managed to keep things close for most of the second half. The Cougars started to pull away with minutes left, but a late surge from the Aggies made things more interesting in the final minute. Texas A&M made a miraculous comeback and sent the game into overtime with a buzzer-beating three from Andersson Garcia.
With four of its starters fouled out by the end of overtime, Houston still managed to escape and avoid the upset.
After the overtime game, fans were hyped to see another exciting March Madness matchup.
Now Houston will get to catch its breath for a moment but will then prepare for what will be a tough matchup against the Blue Devils.
Duke handled James Madison easily on Sunday, but Houston will be a tough challenge. The Cougars have been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball this year and they're not looking to let up against the five-time national champions.
The Blue Devils are looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since Mike Krzyzewski retired, and they'll have to get through a top seed to do it. The Cougars are looking for their first national championship in program history, and Duke will be a big test.
If the matchup between Duke and Houston is half as exciting as Sunday's game, it should be a good one.