HOUSTON — The University of Houston Cougars were named a top seed in the upcoming NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament.
It's the second straight season UH earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Last year, Houston lost to Miami in the Sweet 16.
This year, Houston is the No. 1 seed in the South Region. The Cougars are taking on No. 16 Longwood in Memphis on Friday. A matchup with No. 9 Texas A&M is possible in the second round. Housotn would have to get past Longwood and the Aggies would have to beat No. 8 Nebraska. The winner would then head to Dallas for the regional.
Houston (30-4) finished the season atop the college basketball rankings and won the regular season conference championship but fell to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament title game on Saturday.
The Cougars (30-4) were rewarded on Sunday after winning the Big 12 regular-season title and reached the conference tournament title game before losing to Iowa State.
Houston is be a No. 1 seed for the third time in school history, joining the 1983 team that reached the national championship game and last season's Coogs.
The Cougars will be trying to rebound after getting blown out by the Cyclones in the Big 12 title game. It was the largest margin of defeat for a No. 1 team since UCLA beat Houston by 32 in the 1968 Final Four. Houston was riding an 11-game win streak before the loss.
Competition in the South region is tough. Duke, Kentucky and Marquette are also in that bracket.
As for the overall tournament, defending champion Connecticut is a slight favorite to repeat, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, followed by Houston and Purdue.
Texas teams in tourney
Texas is well-represented in the tournament, with six teams earning a spot. All of them earned rankings higher than No. 9.
No. 6 Texas Tech is also in the South Region and takes on No. 11 North Carolina State in the first round.
TCU is a No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region and faces No. 8 Utah State.
No. 7 Texas will take on the winner of the play-in game between Colorado State and Virginia, both No. 10 seeds.
Baylor is the No. 3 seed in the West Region and faces No. 14 Colgate to start their tournament.