Sweet Sixteen loss ends 'amazing season' for Cougars

The University of Houston (UH) Cougars men’s basketball team’s plans to play for and win the national championship not too far from its own campus fell through on Friday as the top-seeded program fell 89-75 to the fifth-seeded University of Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the Sweet Sixteen round in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I tournament. 

“An amazing season comes to an end,” UH said in a postgame tweet.

Fellow tournament No. 1 seeds Purdue University, the University of Kansas (KU) and the University of Alabama were eliminated as well, making the upcoming Final Four at NRG Stadium the first since 2011 in which a top seed isn't competing. 

Coincidentally, Houston hosted that year’s Final Four. 

Miami, which knocked out the University of Texas (UT) in the Elite Eight on Sunday for its ticket to Houston, joins fifth-seeded San Diego State University (SDSU), the fourth-seeded University of Connecticut (UConn) and ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic University (FAU) as the last four remaining in the 2023 version of the Big Dance.

Freshman Jarace Walker capped his first and only year in the Third Ward with a 16-point, 11-rebound performance. 

Senior Marcus Sasser, whose No. 0 will likely hang from the Fertitta Center rafters in the future, scored 14 points in his last game for UH. 

The Cougars’ hero of the second round, redshirt sophomore Tramon Mark, chipped in 14 points while junior Jamal Shead contributed 15.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that UH, which finished its 2022-2023 campaign with a 33-4 overall record, surrendered the most points all year to Miami, which overcame the Cougars’ normal stifling defense with a hot shooting night. 

The Cougars struggled to hit a shot, barely making nearly 38% of their 64 total attempts. 

Friday’s contest marked the first time in nearly 50 years UH faced off against Miami on the court. 

UH now leads the series, 9-6.

Falling four games short of the ultimate goal dashed the hopes of a once-in-a-lifetime experience for UH fans, who had visions of Downtown Houston and NRG Stadium bathed in the school’s primary colors of scarlet red and albino white. 

"They had a great season," an unidentified fan told Houston FOX affiliate KRIV. "I can’t believe Miami got us." 

Next year will begin with a much different program without Reggie Chaney, Darius Bower, Sasser and Walker. 

Chaney, Bower and Sasser are slated to graduate, while Walker has decided to declare for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft.

Barring entrances into the transfer portal or serious injury, Mark and Shead are expected to lead the Cougars.