Houston made it back-to-back 30-point tournament wins, running the Aggies off the floor in Oklahoma City to punch their seventh straight Sweet 16 ticket.
Two games into this NCAA Tournament, the University of Houston hasn’t just been winning. They’ve been sending a message.
Emanuel Sharp scored 18 points, Chris Cenac Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds, and the Cougars rolled past Texas A&M 88–57 on Saturday afternoon at Paycom Center to advance to the Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive year. Milos Uzan chipped in 15, and Mercy Miller came off the bench for 12 more in extended playing time. It was Houston’s second consecutive 30-point tournament win, making them the fourth team — and first since North Carolina in 2008 — to open March Madness with back-to-back margins of 30 or more.
At this point, it’s almost unfair.
Close Early, Then Gone
Give the Aggies credit — they came ready. Texas A&M jumped out to leads of 8–4 and 10–6 early, with guard Pop Isaacs and Rubén Dominguez connecting from three to keep things interesting. The game was tied at 24 with under eight minutes left in the half, and it looked for a moment like the Aggies’ grinding style might give Houston some trouble.
Then the Cougars turned the switch.
Houston went on a 21–4 run to close out the first half, fueled by 12 offensive rebounds and relentless second-chance scoring. Cenac was the engine of that run — physical, aggressive, and impossible to keep off the glass. The Cougars took a 46–28 lead at the break and never looked back.
To make matters worse for A&M, Houston forced the Aggies into a 6:25 scoring drought in the first half, missing 12 consecutive shots and watching the deficit balloon past the point of no return.
The Cougars’ Depth Shows Up
What made Saturday’s win particularly impressive was how many Cougars contributed. Sharp led the way with his 18 efficient points. Cenac was dominant in the paint. Uzan, the steady veteran, ran the offense without a hiccup. And with the game comfortably in hand in the second half, Miller stepped into extended minutes and delivered — 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists in 22 minutes of play.
Houston shot 44% from the field and, despite going just 8-of-31 from three, generated 16 more shot attempts than the Aggies through sheer physicality and effort on the offensive glass. This is what Sampson has built — a team that beats you in every phase, not just one.
“When you win a lot it’s because you have good players, and they’re pretty consistent with their effort and their discipline,” Sampson said after the game.
A&M Had No Answers Defensively
Texas A&M shot just 35% from the field and connected on only 6 of 24 three-point attempts. Houston’s defensive pressure was suffocating from the opening tip, and first-year Aggies coach Bucky McMillan — in his first NCAA Tournament as A&M’s head coach — had no adjustments that could slow the tide.
Reserve Josh Holloway led the Aggies with 12 points. Rashaun Agee, their leading scorer on the season, finished with just 7 points and three rebounds. It was a forgettable night for a team that had done a lot of good things this year.
“We knew we had to play a really good game,” McMillan said. That they did — for about 13 minutes. After that, it was all Houston.
Coming Home
The Cougars are heading to the Sweet 16, and they’re doing it in their own backyard. Houston will face either No. 3 seed Illinois or No. 11 seed VCU on Thursday at Toyota Center in downtown Houston — two miles from campus, in a city that has been counting down to this moment all season.
Seven straight Sweet 16s. The longest active streak in the country. A team that nobody wants to see in their bracket, in a building that will be rocking red and white from the opening tip.
“I don’t know that anything we did was out of the ordinary,” Sampson said. “We keyed on their shooters. We don’t turn the ball over, so you’re not contributing to your demise.”
Simple, efficient, dominant. That’s Houston basketball. The Sweet 16 is next.
