Shead on Houston Sweet Sixteen berth: 'We want to win for each other'

Advancing toward the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament is seemingly a constant for the University of Houston Cougars men's basketball team. The Kelvin Sampson-led program defeated Illinois 68-53 in Pittsburgh on Sunday (March 20) to make the third round of March Madness for the third consecutive year dating back to 2019. 

ESPN reported that Taze Moore dropped 21 points and Jamal Shead chipped in 18 to lead the 2021 national semifinalist Cougars to the victory, which earned them a trip back to Texas to face top-seeded Arizona in San Antonio on Thursday (March 24).

Shead said brotherhood serves as motivation.

“It’s our heart," the sophomore from the Austin suburb of Manor said, ESPN reported. "We don’t want to lose. We want to win for each other. We love each other so much, these guys are like my brothers, you know, it goes way beyond basketball."

Houston is seeking a return to the Final Four minus stars Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries. 

It's players like Kyler Edwards who adopted the "next man up" mentality and helped fill the void left by Sasser and Mark. Edwards scored 15 points against Illinois, ESPN reported.

According to the network, the senior from North Texas, who came to the university from Texas Tech, made a three-point shot in the waning seconds of the second-round contest to send Houston fans at PPG Paints Arena into a frenzy.

ESPN reported that the team doused Sampson with water in a postgame celebration in the locker room, prompting the mild-mannered coach to remove his shirt.

Once he dried himself off and dressed up again, the Cougars coach addressed the media about his program's resiliency.

“We got a brand-new bunch, but the culture never changes," he said, according to ESPN. "Because they’re great kids and they’re high-character kids, they buy in. It’s never about them. Our program is always about we and us, and that’s what happens when you have great kids.”

Fifth-seeded Houston began the tournament by beating University of Alabama-Birmingham 82-68 on Friday (March 18), Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported.

According to the station, Edwards led the Cougars with 25 points.

Fabian White Jr., another player who has risen to the occasion in the absences of Sasser and Mark, scored 14.