Houston’s defense carries Cougars into 7th Final Four with 69-50 March Madness win over Tennessee

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 points in a 69-50 victory on Sunday.

Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for top-seeded Houston (34-4), which extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 17 games. The Cougars had been eliminated as a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16 in each of the past two years, but this time coach Kelvin Sampson’s team has a shot at the program’s first national title.

The Cougars will face Cooper Flagg and five-time national champ Duke Saturday in San Antonio — just a 3 1/2-hour drive from campus.

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