The Syracuse Orange’s run has come to an end as the No. 2 seed Houston Cougars dominated 11 seed Syracuse 62-46 to qualify for the Elite Eight.
It was certainly a low-scoring affair and quite honestly, both teams struggled coming out of the starting gate. Within the first five minutes, both teams shot at a combined 4 for 21 (19 percent). After that, Houston was getting into rhythm but Syracuse was still struggling.
At one point in the first half, Houston had a 12 point lead but Syracuse came back with some timely jumpers. The Orange got things tied as the minutes were ticking down in the first half but Houston roared back and kept the lead for good. After Houston drained a three, Justin Gorham nailed the layup and got the foul.
Cougars AND-1 😤@UHCougarMBK #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/jd01PiKiqe
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2021
A tie game with three minutes left in the first half became a 10 point Houston lead at halftime and things stayed the same. At one point, Syracuse failed to convert a field goal in nearly eight minutes in the second half. Eventually, Houston was just toying with Syracuse as they extended their lead.
Cougars secure the W.
Houston is taking off to the Elite 8. pic.twitter.com/DBA86SVQBD
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 28, 2021
Some are going to criticize Houston because they played nothing but double digit seeds, which they’ll play No. 12 Oregon State in the Elite Eight, but it’s not Houston’s fault. The Cougars can only play the teams in front of them and other than a 63-60 win over No. 10 Rutgers, their wins have been blowouts.
Having said that, Oregon State has been on another level being unlike any 12 seed we’ve seen. They won by 14 over No. 5 Tennessee, then by 10 over No. 4 Oklahoma State. And then earlier Saturday, they beat No. 8 Loyola-Chicago. It’s going to be a fun game to see who makes it to the Final Four.
