Houston huddles up during the second half of an NCAA college men’s basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston vs. Gonzaga in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament? Yes, that’s happening.
The top-seeded Cougars will square off against No. 8 seed Gonzaga at 7:40 p.m. Saturday in Wichita, Kan., in a rare early-round matchup between the two winningest programs in college basketball over the past eight years.
With two hefty Sweet 16 streaks on the line, only one program will keep its historic run alive. The other will be left to grapple with what many experts consider a puzzling decision by the selection committee, giving Gonzaga a team ranked No. 8 in the KenPom rankings such a low seed.
One streak must die
Houston is aiming for its sixth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, while Gonzaga is chasing its 10th straight.
“It shows that they have a winning culture just like we do,” redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp said.
Graduate guard L.J. Cryer called the upcoming battle “culture vs. culture,” a fitting tagline for two of the most consistent programs.
The programs have done plenty of winning, each racking up 239 victories over the past eight seasons, yet they have never faced one another until now.
But this is not the first time Gonzaga coach Mark Few has mentioned Houston this year.
“Again, it’s funny the way things turn out,” Few said. “I think the players were already fatigued about how much I talked about Houston during this year to them and referenced Houston and Kelvin over and over again. Then lo and behold, here we end up with a chance to play them.”
Remain humble
Coach Kelvin Sampson is never one to overreact to a win or offer too much praise. Even after Houston’s 78-40 rout of SIUE in the first round, Sampson remained focused, looking to push his team to new heights.
“We have a really good team. I don’t think we’re great,” he said. “We have to play good to win, and we have to have certain things go our way.”
To Sampson, a firm believer in the “survive and advance” mindset, simply having the chance to compete in the second round is a perk.
“I’m excited to still be around—beats the alternative,” he said.
But Sampson made it clear that, in his eyes, Houston is not on the same level as its next opponent, at least not yet.
“Mark has been doing this a lot longer, so don’t compare us to Gonzaga,” Sampson said. “They’re what every program aspires to be, to have that consistency year to year. We’ve been good in our little bubble, but what Mark has done, when you do this for a living like we do, you look at Gonzaga.”
Houston’s terms
Houston is looking to slow down Gonzaga’s fast-paced offense and keep the game in its control.
“We play extremely hard. We try to win every game, and I feel like in order for us to do that, they’ve got to play on our terms,” junior point guard Milos Uzan said.
The Cougars will look to use their defensive prowess to disrupt Gonzaga’s passing lanes, as the Bulldogs offense is run by senior guard Ryan Nembhard, the nation’s leader in assists per game with 9.8.
The West Coast Conference champions recently defeated No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s — the nation’s No. 4 scoring defense and the team on their schedule that most closely resembles Houston’s top-ranked defense. However, the Zags, who are 26-8, lost to Saint Mary’s in two previous meetings.
Houston, who is 31-4, has found a good balance on both sides of the ball and boasts the fifth-best three-point percentage in the nation, led by a three-headed scoring threat Cryer, Uzan and Sharp. The Bulldogs counter with the second-best field goal percentage in the country, led by leading scorer senior forward Graham Ike.
Houston recognizes that every game in the NCAA Tournament will be a challenge. They just have to make sure they bring all they can offer.
“We were gonna get matched up with a good team,” Cryer said. “It just so happened to be them.”
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“Streaks on the line: Houston, Gonzaga set for March Madness classic” was originally posted on The Cougar