9:59 PM EST, TBS – Line: Arizona -1.5, Over/Under: 145.0
After a brief break, the madness returns as the fifth-seeded Houston Cougars look to spring yet another upset as they encounter the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the South Regional Semifinal from AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. For the third time in four years, Houston (31-5, 1st in AAC) has advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and they have serious designs on keeping this train moving, particularly after tasting their first Final Four since the days of Phi Slamma Jamma in the early 1980s. Now in his eighth season with the Cougars, (Head Coach) Kelvin Sampson has done a tremendous job in rebuilding a long dormant program along with resurrecting his once promising career. After raising his profile considerably during his tenure with Oklahoma, Sampson was hired by Indiana back in 2006 to return the Hoosiers to their glory days, only instead to be unceremoniously fired after a recruiting scandal left him (and the program) in shambles. A pariah on the collegiate level, he opted to head to the NBA where he would spend the next six years serving as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks (2008-2011) and later the Houston Rockets (2011-2014), learning the professional game from an offensive perspective before finally returning to college in Southern Texas. In hindsight, this has been the perfect marriage between coach and program, for prior to his arrival, Houston had enjoyed just FOUR NCAA Tournament appearances between the end of the Guy Lewis era (1987) and 2014. After going 56-40 (.583) in his first three years on campus, Sampson has now taken the Cougars to four NCAAs in the last five years, amassing a stellar 142-29 record (.830) along the way, including last year’s Final Four. The American Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions have had little trouble advancing to this point, hammering twelfth-seeded UAB (82-68) in the first round before opening eyes with their upset of fourth-seeded Illinois (68-53) in the second round. Though his time in the NBA certainly allowed him to flesh out his offensive philosophies, there is no doubt that Sampson remains one of the finest defensive minds in the country, and he proved it once again as his charges utterly negated the Illini, particularly their All-American Center, Kofi Cockburn. On the surface, Cockburn’s nineteen points and eight rebounds are respectable, but this performance needs more context; the Junior struggled throughout the first half with two early fouls, completely disrupting any rhythm that their offense had coming into the affair. As a whole, Houston relegated Illinois to a miserable 34.0% shooting from the field, including 11-of-25 from within the arc (44.0%) and a dreadful 6-of-25 beyond it (24.0%), while outrebounding them 38-27, and permitting fewer assists (11) than turnovers forced (15). The Cougars on the other hand, weren’t great on the offensive end, shooting just 42.4% themselves, but refrained from making the mistakes (just 8 turnovers) that they were harassing their opponent into making. Leading by as many as sixteen points, the South’s Fifth Seed featured strong performances from (Senior Forward) Taze Moore (10.5 PTS, 45.3% FG, 31.8% 3FG, 71.4% FT, 4.8 REB, 2.9 AST, 1.6 STL, 18.9 PER), who led the way with twenty-one points on 9-of-16 shooting (56.3%) and seven rebounds, while the Backcourt of Jamal Shead (9.8 PTS, 41.3% FG, 30.6% 3FG, 79.7% FT, 3.0 REB, 5.9 AST, 1.7 STL, 17.8 PER) and Kyler Edwards (13.9 PTS, 37.5% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 71.1% FT, 6.0 REB, 3.2 AST, 1.1 STL, 18.2 PER) added eighteen and fifteen points respectively, with a combined seven assists and five steals. And much respect to (Center) Josh Carlton (11.8 PTS, 62.1% FG, 6.3 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.5 STL, 1.2 BLK, 29.3 PER), who bore the responsibility of trading blows with Cockburn throughout the affair. With what should be a decisively home crowd in San Antonio, look for Houston to once again lean on their defensive pressure to disrupt another powerhouse; the Cougars finished the regular season ranked third in nation in points allowed (59.0), and first in field goal percentage defense (37.5%).
Meanwhile, Arizona (33-3, 1st in Pac-12) is rather fortunate to be dancing at this point given the outrageously close call they sustained in last weekend’s 85-80 overtime victory over ninth-seeded TCU. After securing both the Pac-12 Regular Season and Tournament Championships for the first time in four years, the Wildcats returned to the NCAA Tournament following a disappointing three-year hiatus, sporting the no. two overall ranking in the country and one of the tourney’s four top seeds. (Head Coach) Tommy Lloyd’s charges met little resistance in their 87-70 blowout of sixteenth-seeded Wright State in the opening round, but their encounter with the Horned Frogs would test their mettle in ways they really haven’t experienced this season. Despite leading by as many as nine points early, the ‘Cats entered halftime clinging to a narrow 39-36 lead, only to be vexed throughout the second half, in which they trailed by as many as eight points. A furious rally in the waning minutes of regulation allowed them to stave off elimination and retake control of the affair in overtime, where they finally delivered the killing blow to a side that some felt didn’t deserve to even be in the Tournament to begin with. So, why was this game so close, you ask? Well, don’t blame Arizona’s defense for how this one turned out; the Wildcats relegated the Frogs to just 35.1% shooting from the field, including 6-of-26 from beyond the arc (23.1%) while permitting fewer assists (13) than turnovers forced (14), with their play on this end of the hardwood instrumental in their successful comeback. The problem was that Lloyd’s troops were DREADFUL from downtown (5-of-27 3FG), committed exactly as many turnovers (16) as they did assists, and kept putting their opponent on the charity stripe, where TCU calmly knocked down 22-of-30 attempts (73.3%). This allowed the Big XII denizens to slow the game down and play at their pace, with the ‘Cats unable to get out into transition as much as they would have preferred. With that said, as is so often the case in this tournament, this contest was ultimately decided via the individual brilliance of two players, namely (Sophomore Guard) Bennedict Mathurin (17.8 PTS, 45.5% FG, 37.2% 3FG, 77.1% FT, 5.7 REB, 2.5 AST, 1.0 STL, 21.3 PER) and (Junior Center) Christian Koloko (12.7 PTS, 64.2% FG, 73.4% FT, 7.4 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.6 BLK, 28.3 PER). In his second year in Tucson, the highly recruited Mathurin really made a developmental leap, leading the team in scoring (17.8) and three-pointers (81), while his lengthy 6’-7″ frame allows to be a budding force on both ends of the court. This kid was nothing short of clutch last weekend, nailing the game-tying triple to force overtime, while then accounting for six of his team’s ten points in the extra period to advance Arizona to its first Sweet Sixteen in five years. In the end, Mathurin came just one point shy of a career-high with thirty points on 8-of-19 shooting (42.1%), while enjoying a healthy living from the charity stripe where he netted 11-of-13 free-throws (84.6%), along with compiling eight rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals. As for Koloko, the veteran big fella dominated in the paint with twenty-eight points on a near-perfect 12-of-13 shooting (92.3%), twelve rebounds, and three blocks. Perhaps this was the wakeup call that this team needed in its return to the Big Dance following some troubling years by their lofty standards. Though the Sean Miller era was largely successful, it did NOT end well; after winning five Pac-12 titles, three conference tournaments, and amassing a stellar 231-59 record (.796) from 2010-2011 to 2017-2018, the former Head Coach became subject to a federal investigation into the sport that would last for three years, none of which saw the Wildcats selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. After a 17-9 campaign last year, he was finally relieved of his duties, with the program eventually landing on the aforementioned Lloyd; the 47-year-old had spent the previous twenty-two years as both an administrative assistant and assistant coach to Mark Few at Gonzaga, with the Washington native playing a sizable role in the Bulldog’s ascendance, particularly in terms of recruiting and developing their international talent. Needless to say, it’s been a quick rebuild in the desert, as Arizona has swiftly reestablished themselves as a power out west, while standing on the precipice of advancing to what would be their twelfth Elite Eight in school history.