Houston guard Emanuel Sharp (21) speaks with a ref during the second half of the Elite Eight, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
With top seeded Houston’s dominant 69-50 victory over the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers in the Elite Eight, the Cougars advanced to their seventh Final Four, seeking their first-ever National Title.
“We started the first week of June running 100-yard dashes on the baseball field at six in the morning when nobody was around,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We always say prepare for the big moments when nobody is around. Now everybody knows about Houston basketball.”
This is Houston’s second trip to the Final Four under Sampson, with the last being from the 2021 season, where they lost 78-59 to Baylor, who went on to win the National Championship game against Gonzaga.
Houston’s leadership
“The maturity of our leaders is what makes this team special,” Sampson said. “They care about winning more than they do statistics.”
Houston’s leaders are graduate guard L.J. Cryer and graduate forward J’Wan Roberts.
Cryer has experience winning on the biggest stage and was a part of the 2021 Baylor team that defeated Houston and won the National Championship.
Earlier this season, Houston had a 4-3 record with three early losses to Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State, and Sampson needed L.J. to take over the Cougars program.
“L.J. had to get out of his comfort zone,” Sampson said. “When he stepped up and became the leader, I can’t tell you how proud I am of him.”
Cryer has done exactly what Sampson asked him and leads the team with 15.4 points per game.
The 6-foot-1 guard has been vital for the Cougars’ success as he’s averaged just under 17 points per game in the tournament and hit several clutch shots in big moments.
Roberts is Houston’s other leader and is in his sixth and final season in a Cougar uniform.
He’s played for Sampson six out of his 11 years he’s been coaching at the University of Houston and is an extension of him on the court.
“How he performs is how I want the game to be played,” Sampson said. “J’wan has developed into a winner, a leader and a player his teammates and coaches respect.”
Earlier this season, Roberts achieved two significant milestones: he became the first Cougar to play 150 games and the 52nd player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
Roberts also became the winningest player in Fertitta Center history, earning his 63rd win at home against Jackson State, a number he extended to 78 with a victory over Kansas on March 3.
This season, he averages 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.
“I felt like I had a lot of guys here that helped me grow and become the player that I am today,” Roberts said. “Now, I feel that it is my time to carry the throne.”
The Final Four is set
With Auburn’s 70-64 victory over Michigan State, the stage is set for the Final Four.
This is the first time since 2008 that four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four.
Florida, Duke, Houston and Auburn are the last teams standing and will compete in San Antonio, Texas, inside the Alamodome.
Auburn will face Florida on Saturday, April 5, at 5:09 CT. Houston will play Duke after and is set to start at 7:49 CT.
Houston vs Duke’s first matchup
Last season, Houston and Duke matched up for the first time in program history.
The Blue Devils defeated the Cougars 54-51 in the Sweet 16 in a hard-fought battle.
Unfortunately, in the previous matchup, Houston had several injuries that left them short-handed for the tournament.
Redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux was out most of the season with a torn Achilles that he suffered earlier in the year against Texas A&M.
Sophomore guard Joseph Tugler was also ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken foot before the tournament.
Finally, former guard Jamal Shead was injured early in the Duke game, and Houston struggled without their leader.
Duke’s dominance
This season, both teams are healthy and are set for a high-stakes rematch.
Duke enters the game as the favorite and has been dominant this season.
The Blue Devils have a 35-3 record this season, with two of their losses being in November to No. 19 Kentucky and No. 1 Kansas.
Their other loss came from a road battle against Clemson on Feb. 20, where the Tigers prevailed in a 77-71 upset victory.
Since then, Duke has been firing on all cylinders and is currently on a 15-game winning streak.
Duke has also made a statement in the tournament by averaging 92 points per game while only allowing an average of just 68 points.
The Blue Devils defeated No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s 93-49 in the first round and No. 9 seed Baylor in the second round 89-66 in the Lenovo Center.
Duke went on to defeat No. 4 seed Arizona in an offensive shootout 100-93 in the Sweet 16.
In the Elite Eight, they defeated No. 2 seed Alabama 85-65 and handed the Crimson Tide their second-worst loss of the season.
The Blue Devils are led by freshman forward Cooper Flagg. He averages 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.
Flagg was named the ACC Player of the Year and is a Naismith Men’s Player of the Year finalist.
He is also the No. 1 projected pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Junior guard Tyrese Proctor brings experience to this young team and is a leader of this Duke squad.
He averages 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and is a threat from behind the arc, where he shoots 41.2% on the season.
Duke also has a pair of sharpshooters in freshman guard Kon Knuepple and senior guard Sion James.
Knuepple shoots 40.1% from behind the arc and averages 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
James shoots 41.7% from behind the arc and averages 8.7 points, 4.2rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Freshman forward Khaman Maluach rounds out the starting lineup for the Blue Devils and averages 8.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
He stands at 7-foot-2 and is a rim protector, averaging 1.3 blocks per game.
Duke also rotates several players off of their bench and is overall a very deep team.
Houston’s key players
While Cryer and Roberts do most of the scoring for the Cougars, UH has depth at every position, and a lot of other players contribute.
Junior point guard Milos Uzan has flipped a switch in the second half of the season and has become one of the best point guards in the country.
“He’s his own player and is writing his own story,” Shead said. “It is his turn and I’m his biggest fan.”
The Oklahoma transfer has been a key piece that the Cougars needed.
Uzan has averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds in the tournament, including a game-winning layup to defeat Purdue in the Sweet 16.
Uzan also broke his career-high 3-pointers made in a game with six against Purdue.
“This team has so much belief in me, and I feel like I can knock down any shot during the game,” Uzan said.
The Cougars have another experienced guard in redshirt junior Emanuel Sharp.
The Tampa native has taken a huge step this season and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country.
Sharp shoots 41.5% from behind the arc this season and averages 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
He also iced the game against Tennessee with three late 3-point jumpers and was named the NCAA Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player.
The Cougars also rank first in defensive efficiency in the country, and their big men are a huge part of it.
Houston’s duo of senior forward Ja’Vier Francis and Tugler are both elite rim protectors and do the dirty work for the Cougars’ defense.
Francis comes off of the bench and averages 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 block per game.
Tugler is a starter and averages 5.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
He was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Houston also gets big minutes off the bench with two scrappy guards in senior Mylik Wilson and Arceneaux.
“Mylik has great intangibles, and it seems like he gets every rebound,” Sampson said. “He is very athletic and quick twitch, and off the court, he is a sweet kid.”
Wilson has provided Houston with a spark off the bench this season and has hit several clutch shots this season.
He averages 5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game and is a great defender.
Arceneaux is a taller guard standing at 6-foot-6 and is a talented jump shooter and rebounder.
He had the hot hand early in the victory against Tennessee, splashing a pair of 3-pointers and a step-back jump shot.
Arceneaux averages 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game this season.
Both programs have very deep teams this season and have won their respective conference.
With a high-powered Duke offense against a top Houston defense, the rematch between these two teams should be just as advertised.
“When we recruit these young men, we tell them it is not going to be easy,” Sampson said. “It’s going to be hard, and you have to choose hard, and that’s what these kids do and why I love them.”
sports@thedailycougar.com
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“Houston basketball advances to seventh Final Four in program history” was originally posted on The Cougar