Where Houston Cougars Stand in Latest Bracketology Projections
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It’s all about March in college basketball. For the Houston Cougars, they’ve been on an incredible roll of consistency in the NCAA Tournament.
Houston has made six straight Sweet 16s, two Final Fours, and a National Championship appearance in the last five seasons. However, the Cougars are still searching for that first national title.
Houston fans know that, and that’s why March Madness means so much at UH these days. The Cougars have been a one seed in the tournament for the past three seasons and finally took advantage of that fact in 2025 with the run to the title game in San Antonio. Houston was a two seed in 2021 and was a four seed in 2022, dealing with multiple injuries.
UH lost to Miami in the 2023 Sweet 16 as a one seed and once again lost in the 2024 Sweet 16 as a one seed to Duke, where Jamal Shead got injured.
The tournament bracket is so key in terms of actually having a viable path to go all the way. Here’s what the latest bracketology projection is for Houston.
A Possible NCAA Tournament Bracket
ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi released his latest March Madness bracket projections on Friday, and Houston was listed as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region.
That particular region has been a common spot for the Cougars, as the last two times they reached the Final Four, it was through the Midwest part of the bracket. While that typically would be favored by Coog fans given the previous history, it is not the case in 2026.
UH relinquished hosting rights to Rice for the Sweet 16/Elite Eight portion of the South region at Toyota Center in Houston, opening the door to potentially play the regional semifinal and regional final right in their home city. The Cougars would obviously prefer to play in the South region, but they would need to be a one seed to have a better chance at that.
Right now, Lunardi has them as a two seed. In his current bracket, the pathway for Houston is actually quite favorable to at least the Sweet 16. The Cougars could end up facing the No. 3 seed Illinois at that point, but besides that, No. 1 seed Michigan poses as the only really significant threat in this region. Kansas is also listed as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest.
Houston was listed as a one seed in November, but slipped to a two, three, and eventually four seed in December. With the Cougars’ recent 11-game win streak, UH is now back listed as a two.
It will be interesting to see where Houston ultimately ends up.
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.