Houston Cougars forward Chris Cenac Jr. (5) slaps the team sticker on the bracket board after winning the Big 12 Semifinals on Friday Mar. 13, in Kansas City, Missouri. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston Basketball continued its run in the Big XII tournament in Kansas City and faced off against a red-hot Kansas Jayhawks team. Kansas beat TCU previously in the tournament, winning their game in a thriller that would finish up the quarterfinals of the tournament.
However, when facing up against the Cougars, Kansas fell disastrously giving Houston the win with a score of 69-47. Houston moves on to the finals of the tournament and showcases their talents heading into the postseason.
Game recap
Houston opened up the game with a massive lead, as the aggression of the Cougars had Kansas in a huge deficit early in the game.
“I thought our defense was connected tonight. Last night, the second half against BYU it was connected a different way,” said Head Coach Kelvin Sampson. “BYU doesn’t play out of a lot of pick and rolls whereas Kansas does and they like to get to the short roll and we did a good job of tagging, loading early.”
Houston established a score of 13-5 within the first five minutes of the game. When Kansas attempted to bounce back and retaliate with their own scoring run, they had multiple missed three pointers and turnovers which sabotaged any offensive efforts the Jayhawks could make, allowing Houston to make openings that allowed them to keep the lead.
The game went on with Houston running the show. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings and Freshman center Chris Cenac Jr. would lead the charge heading into halftime with both securing a total of 22 points, much to the dismay of Kansas.
“In the openings and the ability to play behind when they pressured, we didn’t do a good job,” said Kansas Jayhawks Head Coach Bill Self. “I didn’t do a good job getting the guys ready for that.”
After Halftime, the last 20 minutes of the game wrapped up any hope Kansas had to make a comeback, as Houston continued their defensive pressure. Flemings put more points on the board whenever Kansas had an opening, and Houston’s defense would remain dominant throughout the night.
This would eventually lead to the final score of 69-47, as Houston would get their revenge after losing to Kansas earlier this season. With this win, Houston now faces off against a No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats in the championships, hoping to go back-to-back in the tournament.
What happens next?
Kansas ends its tournament run with hope and determination to make a run deep into March Madness.
“I would love to have played longer, I would have loved to have been more competitive tonight, but the reality of it is on Sunday is a new day that everybody’s zero and zero and everybody will be fired up to play,” Self said.
Houston looks forward to competing against Arizona and getting revenge for their game earlier in the season. With their game against Kansas, they have regained their confidence and stride especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Houston is definitely a threat to look out for throughout March, and championship Saturday will prove how elite the Cougars are.
sports@thedailycougar.com
