Houston Rolls Into Sweet 16 With Blowout Win vs. Texas A&M
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Houston basketball picked up a huge 88-57 win in the second round over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday evening in Oklahoma City.
Texas A&M’s press wasn’t enough to faze Houston, and the Cougars asserted themselves on the boards, finishing with 15 more rebounds than the Aggies.
With the win, the Cougars earned a spot in the Sweet 16 next week in Houston, inside the Toyota Center, and they will face the winner of Illinois and VCU, who play later tonight.
Houston vs A&M Game Recap
The game started with flashes of the 2024 match in the round of 32, as the Aggies held an early 11-9 lead and the two squads were trading blows early.
That was until Houston went on an 18-0 run to completely pull away from Texas A&M, and the Cougars held a comfortable 46-28 lead at halftime.
The second half was the same story as Houston coasted to a 31-point victory to claim a spot in the next round.
Houston’s senior guards Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan showed their leadership tonight as they led the Cougars to victory.
Sharp led all scorers with 18 points, despite going 2-for-8 from behind the arc. Uzan also helped lead the charge as he finished with 16 points.
Uzan has been much more aggressive in the past two games than he did throughout conference play, and he took 17 shots tonight, which is the most on the team.
The veteran guard’s floater has been working, but he also keeps defenses honest with his three-point shot, and he made three against the Aggies.
Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. continued his dominant tournament run with another standout performance against Texas A&M.
After grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds against Idaho, he impacted the game on both sides of the ball tonight.
He scored 17 points, and he also hauled in nine rebounds, finishing one shy from a double-double.
Houston’s bench also played valuable minutes in the game, and sophomore guard Mercy Miller erupted for 12 points on several tough shots.
Freshman forward Chase McCarty played his role as he hit two three-pointers in the game.
He also made several effort plays, diving on the floor for loose balls, and that is a big reason why he has earned his spot in the rotation.
Overall, the Cougars had total control of the 31-point win over the Aggies, and now the team will return home to play the winner of VCU and Illinois next Thursday, inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).