Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year Sunday and will open against first-time qualifier SIU-Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.
The Cougars (30-4) have advanced to at least the second weekend of five straight NCAAs but were knocked out in the Sweet 16 the last two years.
Houston, assuming it beats the Ohio Valley Conference champion Cougars (22-11), would face a big challenge in the second round against the winner of an 8-9 matchup between Gonzaga (25-8) and Georgia (20-12).
Thursday games in Providence pit No. 5 seed Clemson (27-6) against No.