Houston Dominates Its Way To Final Four With Historic Defense Against Tennessee, Headed Home To Texas

INDIANAPOLIS- Houston not only clinched a spot in the Final Four next weekend, but it held the Tennessee Volunteers to the lowest point total by a top-2 seed in the first half of an NCAA Tournament history, as the Cougars cruised 69-50 in the Elite Eight.

In what was the ugliest half of shooting I've seen from a team in recent memory, Tennessee no-showed against Houston at the worst possible moment. What the Cougars were able to do in the first half set the tone for the remainder of the Elite Eight game. While Tennessee did not just fall to the waste side in the second half, putting up a fight to get within single digits, Houston is too good of a basketball team to give up that kind of separation. 

Inside Lucas Oil Stadium, it was the same type of away-game atmosphere that Houston faced Friday night when playing Purdue. By my guesstimation, 95% of the stadium was filled with fans clad in orange. But, that didn’t stop the small Houston section from bringing the noise, just as their team did on the court. 

There is a reason why Houston was the No.1 seeded team in this region, and it looks like a squad that could give Duke problems on Saturday night, inside the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. 

While some of the blame for Tennessee's shooting will be put on its shot selection, let's not act as if the Cougars defense did not cause a majority of the ugly shots. 

"Yeah, we start with our defense. Our kids understand how meticulous we are with our game plans, what we're trying to take away, and our kids have a very high basketball IQ," Kelvin Sampson said postgame. "We have a very smart team. We're able to do some things that may be outside the box, whether it's spending extra time on baseline, out of bounds plays, we spend a lot of time on that, offensively and defensively. 

"We take pride on not being scored on in baseline out of bounds. Tennessee was different than Purdue and Gonzaga in that they didn't run a lot of ball-screen stuff."

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 30: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Midwest Regional Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 30, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Houston Haunted Tennessee From The Start, Headed Home To Texas

For Kelvin Sampson, he watched from the bench area as his team held the Vols to 15 points in the first half, breaking an NCAA record. His game plan was working, which led to Tennessee trying to drive the basket, then kicking it out for a perimeter shot. The problem for the Vols was that they could not get into enough of a rhythm in the second half to put a serious dent in the lead. 

And it will haunt the Volunteers for years to come, given that this was probably the best opportunity Rick Barnes had at making the Final Four. Now, for the second straight year, and third time in program history, Tennessee is headed home from the Elite Eight with a loss. 

"When the horn blew, my first thought was to Rick because getting to the Elite Eight is such an amazing accomplishment," Kelvin Sampson noted postgame. "I knew he would be a little bit down so I thought about him. 

"I was really happy for my kids, and then when I turned around and saw my son and my daughter, my two grandkids and my wife, I felt good for them, too, because they have to put up with a cranky old coach sometimes. It's good to be able to share this with your family."

All the while, the Cougars looked like a team possessed in the first half, giving them enough cushion to handle a Vols barrage in the second half. 

"We've been down before and I knew -- the one thing I did know, I knew our guys wouldn't quit playing," Rick Barnes said postgame. "I knew we had to start scrambling because if you really watch the game closely, Houston is a possession team. They're going to come down and they're not worried about getting down the floor quick. They're going to run their sets and we wanted to take advantage of those first 10, 15 seconds of the clock and try to speed them up and turn them over."

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 30: L.J. Cryer #4 of the Houston Cougars reacts with teammates during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Midwest Regional Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 30, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Now, it's a trip home for Houston, who will finally get back to Texas, playing just a short drive from campus. In what will certainly play in their favor next weekend, having a shot at playing for national championship in your backyard is a nice reward. 

But unfortunately, Duke is awaiting the Cougars, after destroying Alabama on Saturday night. But, if there is one team that can cause the Blue Devils a problem defensively, it's Houston. 

As the Vols learned Sunday, Houston was the more physical basketball team. Now, the Cougars will need this same type of energy against Duke next weekend if they are going to send Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils home. 

Tennessee Chokes Away Great Opportunity At Final Four

The first shot of the second half started the same as the opening, with a Tennessee missed 3-point shot. Built as a team that could handle adversity, the Vols tried everything they could to get back into the game in the second half, cutting the lead to nine points at the 5:42 mark. 

This was one of the more talented teams to come through Knoxville during Rick Barnes' tenure, and they will head home knowing they had a legit chance at history. It would've been one thing if Tennessee had come out to start the game with the same intensity they showed with eight minutes remaining. Instead, the Volunteers ran into a basket filled with bricks, while Houston only allowed a few uncontested shots. 

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 30: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers gestures during the second half against the Houston Cougars in the Midwest Regional Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 30, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Obviously, this one is going to sting for a very long time, and I have to wonder how much longer Rick Barnes is going to stick around as the head coach in Knoxville. After discussing the current state of college basketball during the week, it's easy to notice that Barnes still cares about the game. 

But there will be questions asked over the next few weeks, even if the Vols head coach denies wanting to hang it up. 

But for today, this one will take a while for Tennessee to get over. On the other hand, Houston came to Indianapolis and handled business just as it had planned. 

As the small contingent of Houston fans celebrated with the players postgame, it was clear that the Cougars are a legitimate threat to cut down the nets in San Antonio as national champions.