The Cougars begin their 2024 NCAA tournament run as a 1-seed, slated to take on the Longwood Lancers on Friday evening. | Anh Le/The Cougar
For the second consecutive season, the Houston Cougars enter the NCAA Tournament as one of four top seeds. The Cougars will tip off their 2024 March Madness run with a Round of 64 dance against the 16-seeded Longwood Lancers on Friday.
Houston was universally expected to make the tournament in what was destined to be the program’s sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. UH was also widely touted as a near-lock for a top seed, a prediction that also proved true as Houston joined UConn, North Carolina and Purdue at the top of one of the four tournament regions. In the end, Houston was the No. 2 overall seed among the four, sitting only below UConn.
Many expected Iowa State, who bested Houston comfortably for the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, to leap into one of the top seed positions but the Cyclones settled for a 2-seed place in the East bracket.
UH’s Round of 64 opponent enters as Big South Conference champions.
“Longwood is a champion, that’s what I know about them,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said on Sunday afternoon. “They just won a championship.”
Houston and Longwood face off in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday evening. If the Cougars win, an intriguing matchup awaits with the winner between 8-seeded Nebraska and 9-seeded Texas A&M.
