No. 2 Houston Cougars vs No. 15 Idaho Vandals Live Updates, Box Score
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It's officially time for the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2 seed in the South region is taking on the No. 15 seed Idaho Vandals in the first round in a late night game.
This is the eighth straight appearance in March Madness for Houston, who are looking to make it back to the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight season, and return to the national championship game after making it last year. The road begins in Oklahoma City against Idaho.
Houston is 28-6 entering this first round matchup and went 14-4 in the Big 12 to finish second in the conference. The Cougars lost to No. 1 seed in the West, Arizona in the Big 12 championship. The Vandals are 21-14 and were 9-9 in the Big Sky Conference before winning four games in five days to win the conference tournament. This is the fourth straight season Houston is competing as a top-two seed in March Madness.
Houston is a No. 2 seed for the third time in program history and are 8-2 in the tournament with that seed. In both previous seasons as a No. 2, the Cougars advanced to the Final Four. UH is also 1-0 against No. 15 seeds in its history. Houston is 45-31 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
Coogs vs Vandals
Houston has actually played Idaho once before. The Cougars won that game 76-61 back in 1963 in the All-College Tournament, and that was also in Oklahoma City.
Idaho is 5-1 in neutral site games this season and have won seven out of its last eight games. This season, freshman forward Jackson Rasmussen leads the Vandals with 13.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell is a close second with 13.9 PPG but leads the team with 3.9 assists per contest. Senior guard Biko Johnson is fourth with 12.4 PPG.
Coach Alex Pribble is in his third season at Idaho and seventh overall as a head coach. Pribble has built a 46-54 record with Idaho so far.
Houston is led by freshman point guard Kingston Flemings with 16.4 PPG and 5.3 APG, while senior guard Emanuel Sharp is right behind him with 15.3 PPG. Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. leads the team with 7.5 RPG. Houston is 4-1 in neutral site games.
Houston faces off against Idaho in Paycom Center in OKC. Be sure to check back here at tipoff for live updates as the game goes on.
Follow below for live updates as the game progresses.
Live Updates
1st Half | 2nd Half | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 24 | 30 | 78 |
Idaho | 48 | 23 | 47 |
Starting Lineup: G Kingston Flemings, G Milos Uzan, G Emanuel Sharp, F Joseph Tugler, F Chris Cenac Jr.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 7, Idaho 10
It wasn't a great start from Houston as Idaho took the lead and kept matching buckets. That included a couple of 3-pointers plus a hook shot. Uzan hit a 3-pointer while Flemings knocked down a jumper.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 25, Idaho 15
Sharp caught on fire out of the timeout with back-to-back triples, including a four-point-play. Flemings' pull-up is looking good.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 33, Idaho 15
Tugler and Uzan attack the basket. Cenac Jr. gets on the board. Sharp hit another three.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 42, Idaho 20
Idaho cuts it to 13 but Flemings continues to stay on fire from midrange. Mercy Miller gets a layup and Cenac Jr. hits a three.
HALFTIME: Houston 48, Idaho 24
Tugler, Uzan and Cenac got buckets and the Cougars further increased the lead to 24 at the half. Both Flemings and Sharp led the way and UH shot 60% overall and 5/7 from three. Houston dominated the glass by 15.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 51, Idaho 27
Tugler threw down a massive dunk and continued to show up on offense.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 59, Idaho 33
Tugler continued to be effective, while Sharp and McCarty knocked down a shot in the paint.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 67, Idaho 38
The mid-range jumpers were falling from Flemings and Sharp.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 73, Idaho 45
Miller got time off the bench and hit a three as well as Uzan.
FINAL: Houston 78, Idaho 47
Miller put on a show before the game ended. This was a massive blowout for Houston and the Cougars starting lineup all did well. Five players were in double digits including Flemings with 18 and Sharp with 16. Houston shot 50% from the field. Texas A&M awaits in the second round.
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.