DEJON JARREAU

Baylor is in the national championship game against Gonzaga on Monday night.

Houston had reached the program's first Final Four in nearly four decades through tough defense and relentless rebounding. But the Cougars struggled with both areas in Saturday's 78-59 loss to Baylor in the national semifinals.

Who is America rooting for in the Final Four?

Houston overcame a blown 17-point lead to hold off Oregon State 67-61 in the NCAA Tournament and reach the Final Four for the first time in 37 years.

Monday night delivered a much needed reprieve from Houston's collective sports depression when the UH men's basketball team ascended to the Final Four for the first time in almost 40 years.

Yes, Houston is going back to the Final Four for the first time since the famed “Phi Slama Jama” era after Monday night's 67-61 win against Oregon State. And Houston knocked down enough free throws late while holding Oregon State without a basket during a critical 3 1/2 minutes. Fittingly, it was DeJon Jarreau — the American Athletic Conference's defensive player of the year who led the effort that stymied Oregon State star Ethan Thompson — who was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region. “It was right there within our grasp with the effort we showed in the second half,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. They held the Beavers to 35% shooting in the first half before Oregon State found some openings.

INDIANAPOLIS – Houston overcame a blown 17-point lead to hold off Oregon State 67-61 on Monday night in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four for the first time in 37 years. Grimes’ 3 from near the top of the arc finally steadied the Cougars, and Houston knocked down enough free throws down the stretch while holding Oregon State without a basket during a critical 3 1/2 minutes. AdMarcus Sasser scored 20 points to lead Houston while Grimes added 18. Fittingly, it was DeJon Jarreau -- the American Athletic Conference’s defensive player of the year who led the effort that stymied Oregon State star Ethan Thompson -- who was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region. They held the Beavers to 35% shooting in the first half before Oregon State found some openings.

Quentin Grimes scored 14 points to help Houston beat Syracuse 62-46 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. That sent the second-seeded Cougars through to their first regional final in 37 years, earning a matchup with No. Houston (27-3) came in holding opponents to a national-low 37.3% shooting, and then harassed Syracuse (18-10) into just 28% (14 for 50). "It's the best defense that that we've seen this year and they deserved to win," coach Jim Boeheim said. Subscribe to Today in Houston Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)Buddy Boeheim carried Syracuse into the Sweet 16 with a masterful shooting stroke. The NCAA Tournament run for the 11th-seeded Orange ended on Saturday night in a 62-46 loss to No. It was also the fewest points scored by Syracuse in an NCAA Tournament game. “They’re just really physical, really aggressive and we got some looks that we didn’t capitalize on,” Boeheim said. “Jarreau is a really, really good defensive player and they helped, they were there to help him but he’s a really good defender,” coach Jim Boeheim said.

Now it's taken coach Kelvin Sampson's team somewhere new: the program's deepest NCAA Tournament run since the days of Olajuwon, Drexler and the famed “Phi Slama Jama." Quentin Grimes scored 14 points and Houston's defense locked down on surging Buddy Boeheim, helping the Cougars beat Syracuse 62-46 on Saturday night in the Sweet 16 while holding the Orange to their lowest point total in an NCAA Tournament game. That sent the second-seeded Cougars through to their first regional final in 37 years, earning a matchup with No. “It’s the best defense that that we’ve seen this year and they deserved to win,” coach Jim Boeheim said. Syracuse had shot at least 52% each time while making 29 3-pointers — but there would be no repeat of that unexpected 2016 Final Four run thanks to Houston's defense.

UH is here and two wins from a return trip to the Final Four that would end a 37 year drought. HOUSTON COUGARS ( 26-3)Last meeting against Syracuse: 1982, lost at Syracuse in the regular season 92-87. Any player entering this program and who wants to play for Coach Sampson better embrace defense. SYRACUSE ORANGEMEN ( 18-9)Head Coach: Jim Boeheim has his team in the Sweet 16 for a 20th time. Randy’s Prediction: UH wins 74-67 to advance to the Elite 8

The Houston Cougars are American Athletic Conference Champions for the second season in a row, clinching a tie at the top of the conference at 13-5. “On my visit, I played with the guys and DeJon (Jarreau) and I were on the same squad. I really felt right at home pretty much right away,” said Grimes on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s Sweet 16 game with Syracuse. “Not really at all, we played on the same team that day and I tried to get him the ball,” said Jarreau. AdFrom that day forward the bond between Grimes and Jarreau grew and hasn’t let up since.

The University of Houston's men's basketball team will compete in its second straight Sweet 16 appearance Saturday, facing No. Coach Sampson has also emphasized defensive drills since day one, Jarreau said, which has contributed to the successful culture of the program. While admitting the team realizes the pressure going into the first game, Jarreau said they are focused on each game individually, and limiting their mistakes on the court. Disclosure: Houston Public Media is licensed to the University of Houston. Subscribe to Today in Houston Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.

(AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)(AP) – Quentin Grimes scored 18 points and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson tied John Wooden on the career victories list as the Cougars beat 15th-seeded Cleveland State 87-56 in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. 2 seed Houston has won eight straight and will face seventh-seeded Clemson or 10th-seeded Rutgers in the Midwest Region's second round on Sunday. AdD'Moi Hodge scored 11 points and Torrey Patton had eight points and eight rebounds for the Vikings (19-9). Cleveland State had won at least one game in each of its two previous tourney appearances, beating Indiana (1986) and Wake Forest (2009). “That’s a one seed, I'm telling you,” Vikings coach Dennis Gates said.

(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson celebrates with the team following Houston's win over Cincinnati an NCAA college basketball game in the final round of the American Athletic Conference men's tournament Sunday, March 14, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)This weekend, the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, and the University of Texas won their respective conference tournament championships. But those were not the only Texas teams headed to the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Here’s a look at which teams in Texas officially punched their tickets to the Big Dance Sunday.

7 Houston beat Cincinnati 91-54 on Sunday in the third consecutive American Athletic Conference tournament championship game between the two teams. AdThe Bearcats had won the previous two AAC title game matchups before last year’s tournaments were canceled because of COVID-19 after Houston had won its second consecutive AAC regular-season title. This was the most lopsided AAC tournament final game, surpassing SMU's 15-point win over Cincinnati in 2017. The Bearcats got to their fourth consecutive AAC tournament title game with a 60-59 win over the top-seeded Shockers in their semifinal game Saturday. AdHouston: The Cougars are going to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Houston guard Tramon Mark, right, celebrates his game-winning 3-point basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Memphis, Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Houston. 9 Houston a 67-64 win over Memphis on Sunday. The Tigers shot 47%, including 8 of 21 on 3-pointers. AdBIG PICTUREMemphis: The Tigers missed a chance to improve their NCAA Tournament chances with a marquee win. … Memphis shot 10 of 20 from the free-throw line.

(AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)GREENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – Jayden Gardner and East Carolina didn’t get to savor a sea of court-storming home fans after claiming a huge upset. East Carolina shot 47% and made 11 of 24 3-pointers -- and more impressively, the Pirates led for the last 12-plus minutes against a Houston team that struggled to make much of anything after halftime. That’s the program’s highest ranking since the 1983-84 season that ended with the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Cougars reaching the NCAA title game. but we weren’t any of those things tonight.”ECU: East Carolina hadn’t won since beating Tulane at home on Dec. 22. UP NEXTHouston: The Cougars host NAIA program Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday, a game added to the schedule Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)GREENVILLE, N.C. – Jayden Gardner had 21 points and 15 rebounds to help East Carolina stun fifth-ranked Houston 82-73 on Wednesday night, securing the Pirates' first win against a ranked opponent in nearly two decades. Tremont Robinson-White added 17 points for East Carolina, which defied season-long offensive struggles against one of the nation's top defensive teams. East Carolina shot 47% and made 11 of 24 3-pointers — and more impressively, the Pirates led for the last 12-plus minutes against a Houston team that struggled to make much of anything after halftime. East Carolina (8-6, 2-6 American Athletic Conference) hadn't won a game in more than a month between five straight losses and three postponements. AdECU: East Carolina hadn't won since beating Tulane at home on Dec. 22.

11 Houston used a dominant first half to cruise to a 75-58 win over UCF on Sunday. Houston (11-1, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) won its fourth straight game since its loss to Tulsa. “It was a great game for us,” Houston guard DeJon Jarreau said. “They made a lot of shots to start the first half off and kind of knocked us back,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. Sampson passed former Houston coach Tom Penders.

16 Wichita State 65-54 on Saturday, beating a ranked team in a very difficult environment, Sampson thought back to this season’s origins. But holding Wichita State (15-3, 3-2 American) to 22 points below its season average and to just one double-digit scorer (Tyson Etienne with 10) was the Cougars’ biggest achievement. A Wichita State team looking to bounce back at home from its second loss of the season managed just 25 first-half points. “We’ve got to play like we were before we were ranked.”SWAT TEAMHouston had nine blocked shots to none for Wichita State. Wichita State: At South Florida on Tuesday.