INDIANAPOLIS -- LJ Cryer delivered 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists as No. 1 seed Houston dominated early and pulled away late for a 69-50 victory over No. 2 Tennessee in the Midwest Region final Sunday. The Cougars (34-4) claimed their first Final Four berth since 2021 by throttling the Vols with the nation's best defense. Houston's man-to-man harassed Tennessee into missing its first 14 3-point attempts -- and 22 of its first 27 shots overall -- to build a 22-point lead that never got smaller than 10. "Houston, they do what they do," said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.
Houston clamps down on Tennessee, clinching return to Final Four
