The No. 6 Houston Cougars edged by the No. 11 San Diego State Aztecs on Thursday night in the NCAA tournament’s first round, 67-65, and in so doing earned the program’s first tournament victory since 1984.
Houston tops San Diego State for first NCAA tournament win since Phi Slama Jama in 1984
The Cougars have earned their first NCAA tournament win in 34 years.
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Senior guard Rob Gray went wild for a game and career high 39 points. He scored Houston’s final seven points — including the eventual game-winning layup — to push his Cougars into the tourney’s second round.
Gray scored 21 of Houston’s 28 second half points. Afterwards, he was understandably ebullient, saying “this is what I love for.”
Don’t we all.
What’s further celebratory about Thursday night’s win is that this Houston’s first tournament victory since 1984, when NBA legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were ripping opponents to shreds. Those Cougar squads of 1982-84 were famously dubbed the Phi Slama Jama fraternity, as Guy Lewis’ clubs dunked their way to the Final Four in 1982, then the national championship games in 1983 and 1984, both of which they lost.
After those iconic seasons, however, Houston lost out in the tournament’s first rounds in 1987, 1990, 1992, and 2010. That sad streak is over now.
With the win, Houston is back in Big Dance business, and the Cougars now await the winner of Thursday night’s Michigan-Montana matchup. The Cougars may have lost in the AAC tournament’s championship game to Cincinnati, but they exorcised a 34-year old demon in this year’s tournament.
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