There really isn’t much interesting to say on this game. Syracuse had just tied the game at 20 with about 5 minutes left in the first half. And then Houston finished the half scoring the last 10 points to take a 30-20 halftime lead.

And then, the Cougars never looked back. Much is made about how difficult it is to score against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense. But it was Houston’s man defense that was the story in this one. Syracuse had scored 70 or more points in 7 of their last 9 games, including both of their tournament games against San Diego State and West Virginia. But tonight, Syracuse scored 46 points. They shot only 28% from the field. There have been some good defensive performances tonight, but Houston shut down everyone on the Syracuse team.

So Houston advances to the Elite 8 to play #12 seed Oregon State. While I did not do any fact checking, I heard on the broadcast, that Houston will become the first team in tournament history to play 4 double digit seeds (#15 Cleveland State, #10 Rutgers, #11 Syracuse and now #12 Oregon State).

Congratulations to Baylor, Arkansas, Oregon State and Houston. 4 more teams will join them in the Elite 8 tomorrow!!!! Can’t wait for the next set of games.