College Basketball Analyst Says Houston at 'Geographical Disadvantage' vs. Purdue

Popular college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein is teeing off on the NCAA over Houston's geographical situation as a No. 1 seed in this year's March Madness tournament. He believes the Cougars are at a disadvantage entering the Sweet 16, which will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

After wins over No. 16 seed SIU-Edwardsville in the first round and No. 8 seed Gonzaga in the second round, top-seeded Houston punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Regional. The Cougars will play No. 4 seed Purdue on Friday night.

No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 2 seed Tennessee are also in the region. Rothstein calls it a "geographic disadvantage" for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, having to play a Purdue team whose campus is located less than 70 miles from downtown Indianapolis.

"This is as ridiculous of a geographic situation that I have ever seen for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament in almost 20 years of covering the sport at the national level," Rothstein said. "Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and all we hear about is that the top seeds should be in a situation, as frequently as possible, where they are protected geographically. Well, the Cougars are not protected geographically."

Houston’s geographic disadvantage this weekend in Indianapolis is a miscarriage of justice. pic.twitter.com/Z3MVBqBJRN
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 25, 2025

To prove his point, Rothstein talked about the mileage between campuses and Lucas Oil Stadium. Purdue's is 69 miles away, Kentucky's is 188 miles from Indianapolis and Tennessee's sits 359 miles from the Midwest Regional location.

As for Houston? The Cougars will be traveling more than 1,000 miles to Indianapolis to play in the Sweet 16.

"So, Kelvin Sampson and Houston — a program that I picked to win the national championship — is essentially going to have to win two road games to get to a Final Four," Rothstein said. "The bottom line is this: Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and Houston is going to be in a road environment, definitely against Purdue and likely against Kentucky or Tennessee. For a team that is the No. 1 seed, that, my friends, is a miscarriage of justice."

To be fair, the Cougars would have a sizable travel distance regardless of region. Newark, N.J is more than 1,600 miles from Houston and San Francisco is nearly 2,000 miles from campus. Atlanta is the only location closer, just under 800 miles from Houston.

But, Rothstein's point is heard: Houston will essentially have to win two road games to reach the Final Four. If the Cougars do accomplish that feat? They'll be much closer to home, with the Final Four being played in San Antonio.

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