MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Emanuel Sharp began additional time with a 3-pointer that put top-seeded Houston forward to remain because the Cougars superior to the Candy 16 again in Texas by topping ninth-seeded Texas A&M 100-95 on Sunday evening.
The Aggies compelled additional time with a livid rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 within the ultimate two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer along with his ninth 3-pointer of the season, after which was mobbed by his teammates on the high of the important thing.
“The final two minutes was Murphy’s Legislation,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson mentioned. “We stored lacking some free throws. The ball was bouncing far and wide. They did not miss a 3. And so they did not make a straightforward one. They had been all laborious 3’s.”
Sharp fouled out after his 3, ending with 30 factors. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to begin the additional session and shut it out.
The win by Houston (32-4) means all eight groups seeded 1 and a couple of superior to the Candy 16 for the fifth time for the reason that NCAA match began seeding in 1979. The highest eight seeds additionally superior in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989.
The Cougars will play Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas within the South Area semifinals. This will probably be Houston’s fifth straight Candy 16 and sixteenth all time.
They’re taking part in partly for Reggie Chaney, a ahead who was a part of Houston’s Closing 4 crew in 2021, who died in August on the age of 23. Chaney’s No. 32 is on a patch on Houston jerseys, and Sampson mentioned at halftime he requested his Cougars what would Chaney do on this sport.
“That was for large Reg,” Sampson mentioned.
Texas A&M (21-15) was attempting to make the Candy 16 for the primary time since 2018 in its second straight NCAA match below coach Buzz Williams. The Aggies had been 6-1 in March solely to revert to the crew that struggled offensively a lot of the season.
Jamal Shead had 21 factors and had 10 assists for Houston. He was considered one of 4 Cougars who fouled out, the primary time that is occurred for any crew within the NCAA match since Washington vs. UConn in 2006.
Shead talked about how Sampson talked about how laborious Chaney would have performed, pointing to the 32 on his jersey.
“We’re constructed for this,” Shead mentioned. “I simply miss my canine. On to the Candy 16.”
The Cougars represented the Massive 12 of their first season within the convention by including to the SEC’s distress. Solely Tennessee superior to the Candy 16 out of the SEC’s eight groups on this match.
L.J. Cryer added 20 factors, and J’Wan Roberts fought by way of a knee situation with 13.
Wade Taylor IV had been on a scoring tear and hit a career-high seven 3s within the Aggies’ win over Nebraska. The guard missed his first seven photographs and completed with 21 factors on 5-of-25 taking pictures, together with 3 of 13 past the arc.
His 21 missed subject targets on the sport had been essentially the most by a participant in an NCAA match sport since Western Kentucky’s Courtney Lee shot 7 for 29 in a loss to UCLA within the 2008 Candy 16.
Tyrece Radford, who missed the December loss to Houston, had 27 factors. Manny Obaseki added 15 earlier than fouling out, and Garcia had 12.
Houston led 43-38 after a fast-paced first half.
Info from ESPN Stats & Info and The Related Press was used on this report.