No. 1 seed Houston is headed to the Final Four for the second time in the past five seasons after imposing its will on No. 2 seed Tennessee for a 69-50 win in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Cougars used a masterful defensive effort to build a 22-point first half lead and then held on late for their 17th consecutive victory.

Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021.

Tennessee veterans Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack were part of the Volunteers team that lost to Purdue in the Elite Eight last year. They could have left to explore their professional basketball opportunities, but decided to return to Tennessee for another opportunity like the one they have today.

Tennessee lets the clock run down as Houston celebrate reaching their seventh Final Four in program history.

Sunday's Elite Eight action starts at 2:20 p.m. with Tennessee vs. Houston in a clash between two of the best defensive teams in the country.

All the top seeds in the men’s tournament are headed to the Final Four! It’s Florida, Duke, Houston and Auburn next week in San Antonio. • Houston books their trip to San Antonio: Houston rolled to their school’s seventh Final Four appearance with a dominating win over Tennessee,

Houston's relentless, harassing defense had Tennessee's shooters dancing around. Now, the Cougars are two-stepping it back to Texas. L.J. Cryer finished with 17 points, Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and the nation's stingiest defense delivered a historic NCAA Tournament performance,

Houston basketball secured its spot in the Final Four on Saturday with an Elite Eight win vs. Tennessee. Here's the Cougars history in the Final Four:

There are just two games left before the Final Four of the 2025 March Madness tournament is set. The No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 1 Houston Cougars will kick off today’s Elite 8 contests. The Vols lost to their Sweet 16 opponents,