MARCH TO GLORY!

Houston earns another No. 1 seed, eyes deep NCAA Tournament run

Cougars Kelvin Sampson
The Cougars are a No. 1 seed once again. Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images.

Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year Sunday and will open against first-time qualifier SIU-Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.

The Big 12's Cougars (30-4) have advanced to at least the second weekend of five straight NCAAs but were knocked out in the Sweet 16 the last two years.

Assuming they beat the Ohio Valley Conference champion Cougars (22-11), they would face a big challenge in the second round against the winner of an 8-9 Midwest Region matchup between Gonzaga (25-8) and Georgia (20-12).

Thursday games in Providence, Rhode Island, pit No. 5 seed Clemson (27-6) against No. 12 McNeese (27-6) and No. 4 Purdue (22-11) against No. 13 High Point (29-5).

Texas and Xavier will meet in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner playing No. 6 Illinois (21-12) on Friday in Milwaukee, where No. 3 Kentucky (22-11) meets No. 14 Troy (23-10).

In Thursday games in Lexington, Kentucky, No. 7 UCLA (22-10) meets No. 10 Utah State (26-7) and No. 2 Tennessee (27-7) faces No. 15 Wofford (19-15).

Houston 11th-year coach Kelvin Sampson has built the winningest program in the country the last seven seasons. Their 211 wins since 2018-19 lead the nation; they're a top-three seed for the fifth time in six tournaments; and they're only the third team since 2009 to be a No. 1 three straight years.

For all the success, the program standard remains the Phi Slama Jama era of the early 1980s. Guy Lewis' Cougars appeared in three straight Final Fours with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Michael Young leading the way.

Sampson's Cougars aren't nearly as flashy, but the wins have come in bunches. They’ve won at least 30 games in four straight seasons. They enter the tournament having won 13 straight games and 26 of 27 and with a sweep of the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships.

The Cougars, who rank first in the nation in defensive efficiency and give up 58.5 points per game, are the only team in the nation to have allowed fewer than 60 per game for five straight seasons. LJ Cryer is among four players averaging in double figures and is shooting a Big 12-best 42.8% on 3s. Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan also shoot better than 40% from distance, and the Cougars lead the Big 12 and are fourth nationally at 39.8%.

Leading rebounder J’Wan Roberts has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle. Sampson has not updated Roberts' status.

Be careful, Purdue

Look for first-time qualifier High Point to be a trendy pick to upset Purdue in the first round.

The 13th-seeded Panthers, who swept the Big South regular-season and tournament titles, will go into Thursday's game in Providence, Rhode Island, on a 14-game win streak.

Purdue has lost six of its last nine games. The Boilermakers dropped four straight in February and lost by 18 points to Michigan in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Another coach, another tournament

Utah State will make its third straight appearance with its third different coach.

The 10th-seeded Aggies are 26-7 under Jerrod Calhoun and will faced UCLA. They got to the second round last year under Danny Sprinkle, who left after a year to take the Washington job. Ryan Odom took Utah State to the tournament in 2023 and then went to VCU.

Zags going for Sweet 16 mark

No. 8 Gonzaga has its lowest seed since it was an 11 in 2016 and faces an uphill battle to make a record 10th-straight appearance in the Sweet 16. The Zags would have to knock off No. 8 Georgia and more than likely No. 1 Houston to get there.

The Zags rank second in scoring at 86.6 points per game and feature Ryan Nembhard, who leads the nation with 9.8 assists per game.

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All eyes are on Houston as the Phillies come to town. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

Two of baseball’s best square off Tuesday night as the Houston Astros welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to Daikin Park for a three-game showdown between division leaders. Both teams have hit their stride heading into the matchup, with Houston sitting atop the AL West at 45-33 and Philadelphia leading the NL East at 47-31.

The opener features a must-watch pitching duel between two left-handers in strong form. Framber Valdez (8-4, 3.09 ERA) takes the mound for the Astros, coming off a stretch of dominance that includes 99 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP across 15 starts. He’ll be matched by Phillies starter Ranger Suárez, whose 6-1 record and 2.20 ERA have helped anchor one of the National League’s best rotations.

Both clubs are rolling. The Phillies come in having won eight of their last 10, boasting a .284 team average and a +24 run differential in that stretch. Houston has gone 7-3 over its last 10, hitting .276 and outscoring opponents by 16 runs.

Offensively, the stars are beginning to surge. Jeremy Peña continues to deliver at the top of the Astros’ order with 11 homers and 16 doubles, while Jake Meyers has been red-hot, collecting 16 hits in his last 37 at-bats. For the Phillies, Nick Castellanos remains a steady extra-base hit threat, and Kyle Schwarber’s power has started to show up again with three home runs in his last 10 games.

Philadelphia has thrived when keeping the ball in the yard, going 21-9 when not allowing a home run. That will be tested against an Astros lineup that ranks top-four in the American League in on-base percentage (.323) and is 27-13 at home.

This is the first meeting between these two contenders this season, and it comes at a pivotal point on the calendar. The All-Star break is approaching, the standings are tightening, and every game is beginning to carry October weight. Tuesday night in Houston will feel like a preview of something bigger.

Here's a sneak peek at the Astros lineup for Game 1.

The lineup looks a little different tonight, with the club facing a left-handed pitcher. At first glance, Jake Meyers batting cleanup immediately stands out. He's followed by Cam Smith and Christian Walker, who is hitting sixth again. Yainer Diaz has been bumped down to seventh, with Cooper Hummel playing left field and hitting eighth. Mauricio Dubon is hitting ninth and playing second base, with Altuve serving as the DH.

Injury update

Shawn Dubin was placed on the 15-day IL with a forearm strain. RHP Jordan Weems has been added to the big league roster.

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