ON TO THE SWEET 16
5 quick hits on UH's win over Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament
Mar 25, 2019, 6:54 am
Corey Davis Jr. is good at sports. Getty Images.
The Houston Cougars are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 35 years after beating Ohio State 74-59. Five quick thoughts from Sunday night's game:
1) Defense, again
Ohio State got off to a fast start, hitting 8 of 17 3-pointers in the first half. But the Cougars held Ohio State to just 32 percent shooting in the second half. The Buckeyes would should just 38 percent for the game as the Cougar defense got it done.
2) The veteran
Galen Robinson has been a huge part of UH's turnaround. On Sunday, he played in his school record 135th game as a Cougar. He scored 13 points and his quickness was a big reason for the victory.
3) Staying on point
The Cougars have faced two subpar teams in the first two rounds, but they have not let up. Georgia State was a cakewalk, and Ohio State barely belonged in the tournament and somehow beat Iowa State. The Cougars kept their foot on the gas and took care of business.
4) Kelvin Sampson is pretty good
Ohio State's one real threat was big man Kaleb Wesson. He did score 15, but was just 3 of 7 from the floor and six of those shots were 3-pointers. The Cougars took him out of his game thanks to Sampson's strategies and UH was never in danger of losing.
5) Now it gets serious
UH will face the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sweet 16. If they can get by them, North Carolina awaits. This is a death row for the Cougars, but if they play their best they should have a chance against Kentucky.
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Victor Caratini homered, Isaac Paredes drove in a run and the Houston Astros shut out the Philadelphia Phillies for a second straight game with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday night.
Houston starter Colton Gordon (3-1) allowed four singles and struck out four in five innings.
Gordo gettin' it done! #BuiltForThis x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/avTNnf7Htq
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2025
Josh Hader struck out one in the ninth for his 21st save.
Jeremy Peña hit a leadoff ground-rule double and scored on a groundball single by Isaac Paredes to give Houston an early lead.
Houston’s pitching staff had retired nine straight when Brandon Marsh singled to right field off Bryan King with one out in the eighth. Trea Turner’s single on a grounder to center field sent Marsh to third before Kyle Schwarber singled on an infield grounder to load the bases.
But, King struck out Alec Bohm before Nick Castellanos grounded out to leave Philadelphia emptyhanded.
Caratini’s solo shot came with two outs in the bottom of the inning to give the Astros an insurance run.
Vic gets a hold of one!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/3umvpJTCMx
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2025
Wednesday’s win comes after the Astros got a 1-0 victory in Tuesday’s series opener. Houston is now tied with Philadelphia and Chicago for the third-best record in baseball (47-33).
Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler (7-3) yielded four hits and a run while striking out eight in six innings.
The Phillies had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth, but Gordon struck out Marsh and Turner to end the threat.
Jake Meyers sprinted to make a catch on the warning track in center field on a ball hit by Bryson Stott for the second out of the seventh inning.
Key moment
King shutting the Phillies down after loading the bases in the eighth to preserve the lead.
Key stat
Wednesday was the sixth time the Phillies have been shut out this season. Philadelphia has not scored a run in 19 straight innings.
Up next
Houston RHP Hunter Brown (8-3, 1.88 ERA), whose ERA leads the majors, opposes LHP Cristopher Sánchez (6-2, 2.87) when the series concludes Thursday.