INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The first NCAA Tournament semifinal has tipped off in Indianapolis between two Texas teams that have Indiana connections.
Baylor coach Scott Drew graduated from Butler and coached at Valparaiso. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson spent two seasons as coach of the Indiana Hoosiers.
It’s only the third time that two teams from the same state have squared off in the Final Four, the last being Louisville and Kentucky in 2012.
The top-seeded Bears have reached the Final Four for the first time since 1950. The Cougars, the Midwest Region champs, have reached the national semis for the first time since 1984.