Houston outlasts Texas A&M in OT, advances in NCAA tournament

As the ending seconds of the topmost of overtime escapes played out in front of him Sunday night, Houston trainer Kelvin Sampson could have turned his head to the right and seen four of his starters on the bench rather of on the bottom.

And yet the panthers, the South Region'sNo. 1 seed in the NCAA event, had just enough for just long enough to survive with a 100- 95 overtime palm versus 9- seed Texas A&M at FedExForum. It means the panthers( 32- 4) now move on to the Sweet 16 to face Duke on Friday in Dallas.

"( It's a) perfect record for Houston to have four players foul out and still find a way to win,'' Sampson said." All the times I have been doing this I do not know I have had a more satisfying palm.''

The panthers came the first platoon since 1987 to win an NCAA event game when it had at least four players foul out. Jamal Shead,L.J. Cryer,Ja'Vier Francis and Emanuel Sharp all took endless seats on the bench after picking up their fifth foul, andJ'Wan Roberts finished the game with four fouls.

It all put Houston walk- on Ryan Elvin at the free gamble line with 17 seconds left in overtime. Elvin, with the Aggies' faithful at full volume, hit one of two to put the panthers up 99- 95.

I was shocked he missed one,'' Shead said." He works like we work.

As Sampson added," Anyhow of who we put on the bottom tonight. we've a tremendous, tremendous culture.. Our kiddies are erected for that.''

Sampson said effects were formerly shuddery enough at halftime that he invoked Reggie Chaney's name and memory to the platoon. The panthers wearNo. 32 patches on their jerseys in memory of Chaney, a player on their Final Four platoon in 2021 who failed of a fentanyl overdose in August, just before he was set to play professionally overseas.

Sampson said that when he got to the locker room at halftime, he asked his players," What would Reggie do?" Sampson also added after the game" That was for big Reg.''

Houston will make its fifth successive trip to the Sweet 16. This is the fourth straight season it has won at least 32 games.

Sampson had lamented the panthers' injury issues in their shindig loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 crown game, but he expressed stopgap when they arrived then that the vacuity of Roberts( thigh) as well as Ramon WalkerJr.'s return from a late- season knee injury would help the cause.

But the hisses started to pile up in the first half Sunday night and continued later. So much so, by the time it was over, Texas A&M( 21- 15) had shot 45 free throws, making 29.

They are phenomenal,'' Texas A&M trainer Buzz Williams said." And a lot of it's the physicality that they play with.

I allowed it was a heavyweight fight.''

The panthers looked to be comfortably in position to move on in the type when Sharp hit one of his seven 3- pointers to give Houston a 74- 61 lead with 339 to play in regulation. But the fouls kept coming. And so did the Aggies, with the plenitude of their end- of- half and end- of- game" specials,'' as Williams calls them.