Houston Cougars' March Madness Ends in Heartbreak

0:00On March 27th, Houston Cougars fell short in the NCAA, a tournament South region semi-finals, losing to Illinois 65-55. Playing just two miles from their campus gave them a big home crowd boost, but it wasn't enough to overcome their cold shooting night. This marked the end of the season for last year's national runner-up. The Cougars put up their lowest point total all year, hitting only 34% of their shots. They reached the sweet 16 for the seventh straight time, but couldn't build on that momentum against the strong Illinois squad. Players were emotional after the game, openly crying in the locker room and at press conferences. They talked about getting good looks that just wouldn't drop, especially early in the second half when misses piled up and the lead grew. A long scoring drought hurt them bad, with nearly seven minutes without a basket at one point. Defense Lib 2, particularly on pick and roll plays, letting Illinois capitalize and pull away for good. Illinois advances now, showing why there are tough match-up in March madness,

1:03while Houston heads into the offseason reflecting on another deep run. That fell just short.