The top-seeded Houston Cougars have been knocking on the door in recent seasons and now appear primed to make a championship run.
Houston has reached the Sweet 16 the past five times the NCAA Tournament has been played. That includes a Final Four appearance in 2021 and the Elite Eight in 2022.
Last season’s run was sabotaged when All-America point guard Jamal Shead badly sprained his right ankle and missed the final 26 1/2 minutes of a 54-51 loss to Duke in the Sweet 16.
This season, the Cougars feel more battle-tested than ever after going 19-1 in the Big 12 regular season and then winning three more games to claim the conference tournament title. They won at least 30 games for the fourth straight season and are the class of this region.
The second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers were one of the better teams in a Southeastern Conference that was full of top-flight teams. The Volunteers run into offensive hiccups at times, so they clearly fall in line below Houston.
No. 3 seed Kentucky, No. 4 seed Purdue and No. 5 seed Clemson are also in this bracket. And you can’t overlook No. 8 Gonzaga, which has made nine straight Sweet 16s.
Purdue lost to UConn in last season’s title game but doesn’t have the same pizzazz, though they still have the same passing wizard in point guard Braden Smith.
TOP SHOT
The old-school coaching methods of Kelvin Sampson resonate with the Cougars, who play their traditional tough defense along with a team-first offensive approach. Four Cougars score in double digits — led by L.J. Cryer’s 15.2 average — and Houston ranks second nationally in scoring defense at 58.5 points per game.
Tennessee will go as far as point guard Zakai Zeigler (13.8 ppg, 7.3 assists) can take the club, because leading scorer Chaz Lanier (17.7) is prone to inconsistency. Kentucky beat a lot of good teams but is short-handed as point guard Lamont Butler (shoulder) is ailing and shooter Jaxson Robinson (wrist) is done for the season.
Guess who doesn’t want to be asked about his first opponent being a double-digit seed? That would be Purdue coach Matt Painter, who saw his Boilermakers lose to such seeds in three straight NCAA tournaments (twice in the first round) prior to last season’s dash to the title game.
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point
There was the embarrassing loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023, the humiliating setback against No. 15 Saint Peter’s in 2022 and the improbable defeat against No. 13 North Texas in 2021. Even back in 2016, there was the stunning double-overtime loss to No. 12 Little Rock. Rest assured High Point wasn’t overly mad to get pitted against Purdue for its first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
The Panthers overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half in the Big South title game while rallying to beat Winthrop. High Point has won 14 consecutive games and hasn’t lost in two months, so the players have the proper confidence level to slay a Big Ten program known for taking low-caliber opponents lightly.
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia
It will be a battle of Bulldogs in this affair with the Gonzaga edition falling a couple notches from its perch in recent seasons. However, the Zags were hot down the stretch with four straight wins and nine of their past 10. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference tournament title by playing the game at Saint Mary’s (sloooow) level.
Georgia won four straight games late in the season — including an upset of a Florida team that earned a No. 1 seed — so a first-round SEC tournament loss to Oklahoma had no effect on its NCAA hopes. The presence of star freshman Asa Newell gives Georgia a strong chance at beating the Zags.
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State
UCLA went 4-4 to close the season and was routed by Wisconsin in its first game of the Big Ten tournament. The Bruins torched Southern California by 27 in its regular-season finale, so there’s no telling which version might show up. A strong game by Tyler Bilodeau, who leads the Bruins with 13.6 points per game, would help their chances.
Utah State is in the tournament for the third straight season under a third different coach. That alone is pretty impressive. The Aggies also went 4-4 down the stretch with the last three setbacks coming by 17 points to Boise State and 27 and 11 points to red-hot Colorado State. Ian Martinez (78 3-pointers) loves to fire away.
GET TO KNOW
Braden Smith, Purdue
The Big Ten player of the year has top-level instincts as a point guard and holds the school record of 732 assists though he is only a junior. Smith also is second on the team in scoring at 16.1 points while making a team-high 78 3-pointers.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
The 6-foot-4 guard averages a team-best 16.2 points and has notched 12 20-point outings. He’s always looked to in the clutch and drove the length of the court against three defenders for a buzzer-beating basket to slay Oklahoma (his former program) in the second round of the SEC tourney.
Tre Johnson, Texas
He is viewed as a for-sure Top 10 NBA draft pick and possibly top five thanks to a strong freshman campaign in which he is averaging 19.8 points to go with 85 treys, both team bests. The Longhorns can win their First Four matchup in Dayton against Xavier with a team effort, but they would need a big performance from Johnson to slay Illinois.
Asa Newell, Georgia
The 6-foot-11 post player also is viewed as a Top 10 pick in the NBA draft, and the freshman is averaging team highs of 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Scouts will be watching closely to see how he fares against Gonzaga big man Graham Ike.
Tayton Conerway, Troy
The 6-foot-3 guard does it all with averages of 14.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals. He was superb in Troy’s run through the Sun Belt tournament by averaging 20.3 points in the three games.
Kyler Filewich, Wofford
The 6-foot-9 center averages 11.9 points and 9.4 rebounds but has a horrid 31.8 free-throw percentage. Now his free throws are must-see because he recently converted to shooting them underhanded. Famous underhand free-throw shooter extraordinaire Rick Barry came to campus to show him the technique, and Filewich is fully onboard.
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No. 4 Purdue (-8.5) vs. No. 13 High Point
The betting line appeared to fluctuate between 7.5 and 10.5 points in the early hours after the selections were announced. With the Boilermakers’ reputation for struggles against lower-seeded foes, take these points and expect the Panthers to play Purdue close even if they fall short. The Boilermakers have lost six of their last nine while High Point has been reeling off victories. Still, Purdue can’t do the big el floppo again, right?
No. 5 Clemson (-7.5) vs. No. 12 McNeese
The possibility of the 12 vs. 5 certainly exists with the Cowboys having won 11 consecutive games and 22 of their past 23. McNeese played in last year’s tournament and was badly spanked by Gonzaga but that experience can come in handy. The Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight last season and won 15 of 16 games this season until falling to Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals. Expect Clemson to take this one.
No. 7 UCLA (-4.5) vs. No. 10 Utah State
Two squads that had issues down the stretch signal one thing for bettors. Lunge for the points and don’t look back. The Aggies have been a stellar program over the past three seasons with 80 wins and would surely like to knock off a UCLA program that once was the dominant program in the West. The Bruins have consistency issues on offense that could hurt in this matchup. Totally up-for-grabs game.
OUT OF THE MIDWEST
There is no real evidence that any team other than Houston will win this region. The Cougars have won 13 straight and 26 of their last 27, and they have the look of a title-game participant. Forward J’Wan Roberts (ankle) is expected back for the tournament, so Houston should be running on all cylinders.
–Field Level Media
