Houston Cougars survives Baylor, keeping No. 2 seed hopes alive for now

Kelvin Sampson's Houston Cougars kept their No. 2 seed hopes alive Wednesday night, surviving a closer-than-expected battle with Baylor.

The Cougars spent weeks sitting comfortably in the 1-seed conversation before a rough February slide pushed them down a line. Now, according to Sporting News' Bill Bender's bracketology, Houston sits as a No. 2 seed alongside Illinois, Florida, and Nebraska.

MORE: March Madness bracket predictions 5.0: Projecting the Field of 68 for 2026 NCAA Tournament

But Wednesday's win wasn't exactly a statement. Milos Uzan struggled to a 5-of-16 night, and Houston needed 18 Baylor turnovers to pull away, outscoring the Bears 42-27 in the second half after the two teams were deadlocked 35-35 at halftime.

It was Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp that carried the weight for the Cougars. With Flemings finishing with 21 points and seven assists on 7-of-13 shooting, Sharp caught from deep, knocking down five threes for 19 points.

It was the exact push the Cougars needed to revive their hopes of advancing in the campaign. Joseph Tugler added 14 points on an efficient 6-of-9 from the floor to give Houston the frontcourt presence it needed when Uzan couldn't find his rhythm.

The Cougars will go on to end their regular season in Stillwater against Oklahoma State, then await their seeding for the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City next week.

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