The final four competitors of the 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Tournament has now been determined. What we saw on Sunday was how spectacular the defense is for the University of Houston Cougars. In the third Elite Eight matchup from Indianapolis, Indiana, the Cougars only gave up 15 points in the first half in a 69-50 victory over the University of Tennessee Volunteers. That was the fewest points ever scored by a team in an Elite Eight game, and the fewest points ever scored by a team in March Madness that was seeded either first or second in their region. The Volunteers were the second seed in the Midwest Region and the Cougars were the first seed.
Other statistics from the Cougars/Volunteers First Half
According to Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated, the Volunteers only made one of 15 shots from downtown for a horrendous three point shooting percentage of .067. Tennessee also had a field goal percentage in the first half of .214. Houston also had nine more rebounds than Tennessee, as the Cougars had 26 compared to 17 for the Volunteers.
Who was the top rebounder for the Cougars?
Most of the time in basketball reports, there is a focus on offense. However, here there is a focus on defense. Cougars forward Joseph Tugler of Houston, Texas led the University of Houston with nine rebounds. As a team, the Cougars had 40 rebounds and the Volunteers had 34 rebounds.
All number one seeds in the Final Four
Houston will be joined next weekend in San Antonio with Auburn (the South regional champion), Florida (the West Regional champion), and Duke (the East Regional champion). This is only the second time ever that there are four number one seeds in the Final Four. The first time was 2008. That year the Final Four teams were Memphis, Kansas, North Carolina and UCLA.
