The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has not brought its usual madness this March. Powerhouse programs quickly turned every potential Cinderella team back into a pumpkin, and there were no teams from a low- or mid-major conference remaining after the early rounds.
All four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Elite Eight. Of those four, the Duke Blue Devils and Florida Gators have already punched their tickets to the Final Four with convincing victories over No. 2 seed Alabama and No. 3 seed Texas Tech, respectively. The Auburn Tigers, the No. 1 seed in the South, will face the No. 2 seed Michigan State Trojans in the regional final for an opportunity to play Florida in the Final Four, while the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars topped the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers in the Midwest regional final to secure a date with the Blue Devils.
Houston is not among the programs that are historically associated with dominance in the NCAA Tournament, but they were one of the very best teams in the country this year under Kelvin Sampson. Tennessee was expected to give Houston their toughest challenge yet, but the Cougars jumped out to a 34-15 lead in the first half and never looked back in a 69-50 win. The Volunteers shot just 21 percent from the floor while Houston dominated the boards, snatching nine more rebounds than the Volunteers and creating 11 points on second-chance baskets. Tennessee managed to score 35 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
Has Houston ever won a national championship in men's basketball?
The Cougars advanced with a 69-50 win, securing their spot in the Final Four. They’ll look to advance to the national championship game for the third time in school history.
Houston has never won a national championship, despite multiple missed opportunities. The Cougars made it to the championship game in back-to-back tournaments in 1983 and 1984 but fell short on both occasions. They lost against the NC State Wolfpack in 1983, then suffered a defeat against Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas in 1984.
The Cougars have made six Final Four appearances in the school’s history, but they’ve fallen short of glory each time. Their upcoming clash against Duke will mark their seventh Final Four appearance; the most recent came in 2021, when the Cougars suffered a 78-59 loss against Baylor, the eventual champions.
Houston vs Duke Final Four schedule and how to watch
The Final Four is set to take place on Saturday, April 5, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Houston will face Duke at 8:49 p.m. ET on CBS.
By the time they play, the championship opponent of the winning team will already be decided. Earlier that day, Florida will face either Auburn or Michigan State in the Final Four at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Alamodome. Both Final Four games and the national championship will air on CBS and any streaming service with access to CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV. The games can also be streamed on Fubo.