The Houston Cougars breathed a sigh of relief as they celebrated their final berth within the Sweet 16. What looked like a close victory become an time beyond regulation thriller inside two minutes. Video above: How the world prepares to host the NCAA Tournament Emanuel Sharp kicked off time beyond regulation with a three-pointer that gave Houston the lead and held on because the top-seeded Cougars advanced to the Texas Sweet 16 with a 100-95 victory over ninth-seeded Texas A&M on Sunday night . Houston coach Kelvin Sampson admitted that his Big 12 debut season was stuffed with loads of close games, and his Cougars were ready for this game. “We are very happy today that we won. Texas A&M could have won that game,” Sampson said. “But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to autopsy victories this time of year. So we move on.” The furious Aggies forced time beyond regulation, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the ultimate two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer along with his ninth three-pointer of the season before being mobbed by teammates. “Obviously this shot will go down in Texas A&M history,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said. “It was a draw. You know it wasn’t about winning?” Sampson called the final two minutes of regulation “Murphy’s Law” with free throws missed and the ball bouncing everywhere. “They didn’t miss a 3,” Sampson said. “And it wasn’t easy for them. Everyone had hard threes. Sharp burned a foul after making a three-pointer and finished with 30 points. His teammates defeated Texas A&M 7-1 to start and close the extra session. Houston’s (32-4) victory means all eight No. 1 and No. 2 teams advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time since the NCAA Tournament began in 1979. The top eight seeds also advanced in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989. The Cougars will face Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas in the South Region semifinals. This will be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and 16th all-time. The next No. 1 seed to advance on Sunday was UConn. Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and the top-seeded Huskies defeated a shorthanded Northwestern team 75-58 on Sunday night to cruise to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. Connecticut led the wire-to-wire competition and became the first defending national champion to reach the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016. “I’m just impressed with the performance. I just really attacked them,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Obviously, the injuries they had throughout the year changed the overall picture of this team.” The Huskies (33-3) built a 30-point lead with 13:27 left in the sport and tied this system record for wins set by the team that won the national title in 2013-14. On Thursday night, they’ll play No. 5 seed San Diego State within the Eastern Regional semifinals in Boston, about 90 miles away. In last 12 months’s national championship game, the Huskies defeated fifth-seeded San Diego State 76-59. They lost Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from this talented squad, but it surely was a balanced and focused group looking much more dominant as they struggle to grow to be the primary program to repeat as NCAA champions since Florida in 2007.
The Houston Cougars breathed a sigh of relief as they celebrated their final Sweet 16 berth.
What looked like a close victory become an time beyond regulation thriller inside two minutes.
Emanuel Sharp began time beyond regulation with a three-pointer that gave Houston the lead and kept it, and the top-seeded Cougars advanced to the standings Sweet 16 returned to Texas, taking the highest spot in No. 9 seed Texas A&M 100-95 on Sunday night.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson credited his Big 12 debut season with many close games for helping the Cougars prepare for this game.
“We are very happy that we won tonight. Texas A&M could have won that game,” Sampson said. “But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to do an autopsy on wins this time of year. So we move on.”
The Aggies forced time beyond regulation after a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the ultimate two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia hit the traffic light along with his ninth three-pointer of the season before being mobbed by teammates.
“Obviously this is a shot that will go down in Texas A&M lore,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said. “It was a draw. It wasn’t about winning, you know?
Sampson called the final two minutes of regulation “Murphy’s Law” with free throws missed and the ball bouncing everywhere.
“They didn’t miss a 3,” Sampson said. “And it wasn’t easy for them. They all made difficult threes.”
Sharp blew a foul on his 3s, ending with 30 points. His teammates defeated Texas A&M 7-1 to start out and shut the additional session.
Houston’s (32-4) victory means all eight No. 1 and No. 2 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time because the NCAA Tournament began in 1979. The top eight seeds also advanced in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989.
The Cougars will play Duke, 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas within the South Region semifinals. This might be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and sixteenth all-time.
The next No. 1 seed to advance on Sunday was UConn.
Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and the top-seeded Huskies defeated a shorthanded Northwestern team 75-58 on Sunday night to qualify for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. Connecticut led the wire-to-wire competition and have become the primary defending national champion to succeed in the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016.
“I’m just impressed with the performance. I just really attacked them in the paint,” UConn coach Dan Hurley he said. “Obviously, the injuries they suffered throughout the year changed the overall picture of this team.”
The Huskies (33-3) built a 30-point lead with 13:27 remaining and tied this system record for wins set by the team that won the national title in 2013-14. They will play within the Eastern Region semifinals on Thursday evening against No. 5 seed San Diego State in Boston, roughly 80 miles drive from the UConn campus.
In last 12 months’s national championship game, the Huskies defeated fifth-ranked San Diego State 76-59. They lost Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from this talented squad, but this poised and focused group looked much more dominant because it attempted to grow to be the primary program to repeat as NCAA champions since Florida in 2007.