Elite Eight: Houston ends No. 12 Oregon State’s storybook run to advance to men’s Final Four

Houston fed off its nation-leading defense Monday night – putting the clamps on Oregon State star Ethan Thompson – and held off a late rally by the No. 12 seeded Beavers to escape with a 67-61 win in the Elite Eight in Indianapolis.

The Cougars are the first team to advance to the men's Final Four, getting to college basketball's final weekend for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama era in 1984. 

Houston (28-3), which leads the country in field goal percentage defense and limits opponents to 57 points a game, offset Oregon State's high-octane offense from the start. American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year DeJon Jarreau smothered Thompson – the Beavers' star in their first three NCAA Tournament upsets to reach the Elite Eight – containing him to 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting. Thompson had averaged 24 points in the last two wins. Jarreau's steal on Thompson with 48 seconds left helped seal the win. 

Oregon State didn't go away quietly, storming back from a 17-point deficit, tying the score at 55 off a Gianni Hunt three-pointer with 3:48 remaining. Quentin Grimes, Houston's leading scorer, came up strong in the clutch with two dagger three-pointers late – including one with 3:22 left to give the Cougars a 58-55 edge. Grimes hit two free throws with 28 seconds left. 

Houston's offense was bolstered by Marcus Sasser's hot three-point shooting early (five triples for 20 points) and got a momentum boost from Fabian White Jr., who grabbed key offensive rebounds late in the game. The Cougars capitalized off 19 offensive rebounds, scoring second-chance points to make up for an otherwise pedestrian shooting night (32%). 

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