No. 5 Houston Upsets No. 1 Arizona, Advances to Face Villanova in Elite Eight

The Houston Cougars are one game away from returning to the Final Four for a second straight season. And yet another one seed fell in the process. 

The five-seeded Cougars knocked off Arizona 72-60 Thursday night in the South Regional Sweet 16. That came just hours after another one seed, Gonzaga, was felled by four-seed Arkansas. 

Kyler Edwards delivered the dagger for Houston with just over a minute remaining:

These Cougars are an incredible story. Last year's Final Four team lost Quentin Grimes to the NBA and has dealt with season-ending injuries to this year's top scorer, Marcus Sasser, along with Tramon Mark. 

But Houston just keeps on ticking, playing an incredibly balanced and fundamental brand of basketball. In the process, the Cougars ended the Wildcats' bid to return to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2014-15 season. 

It would be reductive to suggest that Houston just wanted it more. But the Cougars scrambled and dove for loose balls. They played swarming team defense. They forced 14 turnovers, held Arizona to 34 percent shooting from the field and out-rebounded them 37-34.

It would be more accurate to say that the Cougars wanted it, badly. And in what has been a bracket-burning type of tournament, that intensity and poise makes them a real threat to win it all. 

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Key Stats

Jamal Shead, HOU: 21 points, six assists

Kyler Edwards, HOU: 19 points, five boards

Josh Carlton, HOU: 10 points, seven rebounds

Benedict Mathurin, AZ: 15 points, 4-of-14 from the field

Dalen Terry, AZ: 17 points, six rebounds

Christian Koloko, AZ: 10 points, four rebounds

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Shead Was the Unlikely Hero for Houston

Houston has been rotating through leading men. Against UAB in the first round, Edwards went for 25. Taze Moore gave them 21 against Illinois in the second round. On Thursday, it was Shead's turn. 

And it was a huge turn, given that he was the team's fifth-leading scorer among its healthy players. 

To go on a deep run, you sometimes need a role player or two to go off. On a night when Houston played superb defense, Shead gave them enough on the other end to push them through to the Elite Eight. 

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Mathurin Didn't Have Another Epic Performance in the Tank

Mathurin was phenomenal in Arizona's overtime win against TCU in the second round, scoring 30 points. Houston's defense proved to be a tougher assignment. 

Mathurin went just 1-of-7 in the first half from the field. While he picked it up in the second half, he went long stretches without making much of an impact, and the buckets he did get were off tough looks. 

Arizona played with fire against TCU, but Mathurin extinguished the flames. The future lottery pick couldn't come up with an encore against Houston. 

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What's Next?

The Cougars will face No. 2 seed Villanova on Saturday at 6:09 p.m.