Surprise, surprise! Houston just locked down the Arizona Wildcats for 40 minutes and sent them back to the desert with a 72-60 loss.
Why is this surprising to many? Houston’s defense has been frightening all season long. It only allowed an average of 59.0 points per game to its opponents throughout the season. We didn’t see this coming?
Likely not.
For further context — Arizona entered this Sweet 16 matchup with the third-best scoring offense in the nation (84.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (49.6 percent). The Wildcats didn’t even sniff those numbers.
So, how did Houston grind this well-oiled offense into dust?
Physicality, toughness, and will.
THIS HOUSTON DEFENSE IS RELENTLESS!!! 😤😤@UHCougarMBK #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wONqLNzEZU
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
From the jump, Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars were locked in. They held Zona to just 60 points (second-lowest of the season) and 33.3 percent shooting(!) while forcing 14 turnovers that turned into 24 points on the other end.
The Wildcats looked uncomfortable throughout the game and never led at any point. They joined Gonzaga as the second No. 1 seed to come up short on Thursday night.
As for the Cougars? They’ll make it back to the Elite 8 for the second time in as many years.
No easy buckets against @UHCougarMBK 😤#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Nw4KlJNFiI
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
What an upset.
