HBO
Since enough people asked for this, we will recap each episode of the final season of Game of Thrones. Starting next week, these will be posted shortly after the show. But since we just decided to do it today, this one is a little late.
Warning: Spoilers follow. If you have not watched it yet, proceed at your own risk.
As Dany would say, "shall we begin?"
1) An old school episode
Sunday's show was a contrast to Season 7, where everything moved way too fast. It was more of an old school Thrones episode, with a lot of character interaction. I honestly believe this is when Thrones is at its best. While primarily a setup for later episodes, it featured some strong interactions between Jon and Sansa, Jon and Arya, Sansa and Tyrion, Jon and Bran, and Sam and Dany, Euron and Cersei. It was emotional and well done.
2) Sansa might be the smartest of all
Arya even told Jon that. She is the only one not fooled by Cersei, and is even critical of Tyrion for believing his sister. She is emerging as a strong leader, and a practical one. If someone other than Cersei is to sit on the Iron Throne at the end, Sansa will be a big reason. She gets it and her character evolution is one of the most impressive on the show. She learned her lessons from Lord Baelish well.
3) And the not so good...
The flying dragon love scene was useless. It was an obvious attempt to pander to fans who have been wanting to see it. But it did not serve to move the story. We already know Jon is a Targaryen, a reveal that happened last season. He finds out himself later in the episode, when Sam tells him. This could complicate the Jon and Dany relationship. Sam is loyal to a fault to Jon, but the way she killed his father and brother clearly is going to be an issue going forward.
4) Cersei continues to outsmart everyone
She has always been one step ahead of everyone. Her calculating nature has time and time again beaten her enemies. She is single-minded, and is playing the game at the highest level. She even enlists Bron to kill Jamie and Tyrion if the white walkers fail to do it. (Hard to believe he would). She has played this perfectly; if the Night King's army weakens the Jon/Dany alliance, Cersei will be prepared. From a strategy perspective, she is always a step ahead...Unless the Night King outplays everyone by skipping Winterfell and going straight to King's Landing. But there seems to be no indication of that.
5) Bran awareness
Bran's character continues to be vague and unlikeable. But the last scene when he sees Jamie - who tossed Bran out of the tower and crippled him in season 1 - was powerful, even with no words spoken. The previews for episode 2 indicate Dany is not happy with Jamie killing her father, and I suspect Bran will say Jamie has a part to play. Bran would likely not be the three-eyed raven if he had not been tossed out of the tower, and it appears those two will wind up intertwined again. Still, Bran, along with Gendry and anyone named Greyjoy...just not all that interesting.
The wrap-up
I liked the episode. It sets things up nicely for the final five episodes. The five most interesting characters remain The Night King, Jon, Sansa, Tyrion and Arya. The Night King's message - an impaled child on a wall with a flesh version of the pattern we have seen before - was the only wow moment, but the interaction between characters throughout was classic Thrones.
Expect more action in episode 2.
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For the first time in five years, the Cougars are heading back to the Final Four and will match up with the Duke Blue Devils.
This is the second consecutive year the two basketball powerhouses have faced off in the NCAA tournament. Last season, Houston was favored to win but lost Jamal Shead early in the game and came up just short during their Sweet 16 matchup with Duke.
This year, the roles are reversed, as the Blue Devils are a -4.5 favorite to win and have been playing at an elite level over the last few weeks, as they have outscored their last four opponents 367-273.
Defeating Duke will be no easy task, but Houston has some key factors to give them the edge they need to walk away victorious.
Offense and roster depth
Throughout this tournament, Houston has counted on multiple players to control the game scoring-wise and has become one of the most efficient offenses in the country.
Senior guard LJ Cryer has been the Cougars' leading scorer all season, averaging 15.4 points per game, and has become one of the leaders of this team.
Houston also has forward Emanuel Sharp and guard Milos Uzan, who have been massive offensive contributors throughout this season.
Senior forward J’Wan Roberts and sophomore Joseph Tugler round out the rest of the starting rotation and provide the Cougars with elite defense.
Houston also has Ja’Vier Francis, Terrance Arceneaux and Mylik Wilson as key bench pieces to give the team the depth it needs to complete at a high level.
Having multiple players who score consistently, and an elite defense will be the primary keys to defeating Duke.
Contain Cooper Flagg
Duke’s freshman forward has been by far and away the best college basketball player this season and is on pace to become one of the greatest one-and-done athletes of this era. The 18-year-old leads the Blue Devils in points, assists, rebounds and steals and is the consensus number-one overall prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Slowing down Duke’s best player will not be easy, as the freshman forward has averaged 19.5 points per game in the tournament, but Houston will have to find a way to limit his production to come away victorious.
Houston forward J'Wan Roberts will be Flagg's primary defender, and Tugler and Francis will provide additional coverage to limit him offensively.
The Blue Devils also have guards Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor, who can take over a game scoring-wise if Flagg is having an off night.
Cryer and Uzan are elite defenders who can provide excellent coverage to either of Duke's guards.
Slowing down the Blue Devils will take an all-hands-on-deck defensive approach to limit their offensive production.
Houston’s previous game saw them hold Tennessee to score only 50 points and forced them to shoot a minuscule 17.2% from beyond the arch.
The Cougars still have the nation's best defense and will be well-prepared to slow down Duke’s high-powered offense.
Trust the man who brought you here
The last time Houston made it this far in the tournament was in 2021. At that time, head coach Kelvin Sampson was building a basketball program from the ground up and just starting to see the fruits of his labor come to fruition.
The former Indiana coach took a team with little to no tournament experience to the Final Four before falling short to the eventual champion Baylor.
Since then, the 69-year-old has taken multiple teams deep into the tournament thanks to his defensive-first mentality and getting the best effort out of players.
“The most overrated thing is that you're a good defensive team because of your coaching”. Sampson said. “No. You're a good defensive team because you care and because it's important to you.”
Sampson has become one of the best coaches in the nation, and this year, his team is well-positioned to make a run at Houston’s first-ever men's basketball championship.
Not only is this one of the deepest rosters the Cougars have ever had, but it's also one of the most experienced teams Sampson has coached in his career.
Everyone on this squad (except Uzan) has played in the NCAA Tournament at least once before this year.
This experience, combined with a coach who has been here before, is a perfect recipe for success and the key to deafening the Blue Devils.
The Houston — Duke game will take place on Saturday at 7:49 pm. The winner will play either Auburn or Florida in the championship game on Monday.