NCAA Basketball: Ranking the Elite 8 teams in 2022 NCAA Tournament

Mar 24, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Wendell Moore Jr. (center) and forward AJ Griffin (right) reacts after a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half in the semifinals of the West regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

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Houston Cougars NCAA Tournament Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Houston Cougars

When star scoring guard Marcus Sasser went down with a season-ending injury, it looked as if the Cougars’ title hopes were done. And then double-digit scoring guard Tramon Mark went down as well. The team still finished strong overall but some were citing their lack of Quad 1 victories as a reason for why they aren’t built to advance in March.

But they beat UAB in the Round of 64, followed by the win over Illinois in a game that looked even on paper. But it was their wire-to-wire victory over No. 1 seed Arizona that awoke even the biggest of skeptics. Jamal Shead had a career-high 21 points and six assists and put on a masterclass performance from the point guard position.

Guard Kyler Edwards has truly stepped up after Sasser and Mark went down from a scoring standpoint, as has senior guard Taze Moore. And while both Josh Carlton and Fabian White aren’t great scorers, they’ve been as effective as possible from a defensive and rebounding standpoint. They outplayed both Kofi Cockburn and Christian Koloko inside and will have the advantage against Villanova’s frontcourt this weekend.

Houston has the defense to win a national title and if the guards continue to score well, they’re capable of beating anyone left in the NCAA Tournament.

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