Houston Cougars’ Get Big News For Hopes to Play at Home During NCAA Tournament
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Houston basketball once again has championship-level aspirations this upcoming season and is considered big title contenders after reaching the national championship this past April.
The Cougars have been a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the past three years and have been on a historic run during March Madness, having made six straight Sweet 16 appearances.
Houston’s pathway back to a third Final Four in six seasons is now potentially much more favorable. On Tuesday, the Harris County Houston Sports Authority announced that Rice University is now the official host institution for the 2026 NCAA South Regional at Toyota Center.
What this means for Houston
The University of Houston being the official host school as originally planned would have made UH ineligible to play in the South Regional right at home. With Rice now serving as the host school, it opens the door for the Cougars to potentially play in downtown Houston for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
As part of a joint bid between UH and the HCHSA back in 2020, Toyota Center was selected as one of the four host sites for a regional for 2026. Houston had petitioned for a waiver to serve as host and be eligible to play in the South regional but was denied by the NCAA, according to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. The Cougars had to turn to their local partners, and the HCHSA decided it is Rice.
UH could now be playing a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight game just two miles away from campus, which would give the Cougars massive support at what is typically the Houston Rockets home court. UH has played games in Toyota Center each of the last two seasons, and Cougars fans showed up in large numbers as expected in their home city.
In a press release, the HCHSA said, “In accordance with NCAA rules governing host institutions, the University of Houston will not serve as the official host institution to avoid potential impacts on tournament bracket placement.”
Last year, Houston had to take on Purdue in the Sweet 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Boilermakers had a massive crowd as their campus is roughly 65 miles away from the stadium, making it a road game that UH would eventually win 62-60 on a last-second bucket from junior point guard Milos Uzan.
Being at Home isn't Everything
While this becomes a big advantage for the Cougars, that doesn’t mean the results will automatically come. Houston was in the Final Four this past season in San Antonio with large crowd support.
UH also played Auburn in the second game of the season last year in Toyota Center where the Tigers won 74-69. While the crowd was obviously majority Houston, the sizable group of Auburn fans made themselves known. It’s never easy to win a second-round March Madness game, but the Cougars may end up having a big upper hand they’d want to make full use of.
The release also said while UH won’t serve in an official capacity, “UH, Rice, and HCHSA remain united in their commitment to showcasing Houston.”
The South regional will take place March 26-28.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.