The No. 2 Houston Cougars are eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini defeated them 65-55 in the Sweet 16 encounter on Thursday. Despite entering the March Madness as a No. 2 seed and contender on the back of a win against Texas A&M to reach the Sweet 16, Houston fell short.
The reason behind the loss can be attributed to poor shooting from the Cougars. Their best scoring option, Emanuel Sharp, could only convert seven of 16 field goals, including 3-10 from the 3-point line, for 17 points in 39 minutes. Kingston Flemings was 4-10 from the field, Milos Uzan was 2-11 and Chris Cenac Jr. was 3-12.
Illinois’ 17-0 game-changing run in the second half completely shifted momentum. There was no coming back for Houston after that.
Previously, the Cougars defeated Idaho 78-47 in the first round and Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
Houston’s Emanuel Sharp Left Heartbroken After Losing In Sweet 16
After the stunning loss in the Sweet 16 Thursday night, Emanuel Sharp was down and heartbroken as he recalled all the bonds he created during his time with Houston since joining the Cougars in 2021.
“I just made so many bonds in the time I’ve been here,” Sharp said. “You start thinking about when it’s your last go-around. It sucks.”
Sharp said poor shooting was the big reason behind Houston’s loss.
“In basketball, you’ve got to put the ball in the hole,” said Sharp. “We didn’t put the ball in the hole and they did, in the second half especially.”
Sharp bids goodbye to Houston as the career leader in 3-pointers with 309 and the player with the second-most wins in school history. Sharp recalled his first meeting with the Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson.
“I still remember the first day I came downstairs and my dad was on the phone with Coach Samp, and since then he just had the ultimate belief in me,” he said. “When I got hurt, they doubled down on how big they were on me. As soon as I got here, they got me even better than my original self. I just listened to Coach Samp and just tried to follow everything he told me to a T and work my way up through the program.”
After five straight Sweet 16 trips, it’s time for Sharp to look beyond Houston.
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