No. 15 seed Vandals can't find cracks in dominant Houston defense | Three takeaways
Mar. 20—Making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 36 years, the Idaho Vandals opened with a spirited stretch of play. But after about seven minutes of game time, reality started to set in.
The game got away from the 15th-seeded Vandals in a hurry. No. 2 seed Houston took control midway through the first half and cruised to a 78-47 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
The Cougars advance to face No. 10 seed Texas A&M on Saturday. Vandals fade quickly after nice start Idaho guards Kolton Mitchell, a Lake City High product, and Biko Johnson hit early 3-pointers, and the Vandals (21-15) led 12-9 at the 14:40 mark.
Idaho was avoiding turnovers against one of the nation's top defensive teams, and the Vandals were playing admirable defense themselves. Houston (29-6) started just 2 of 8 from the field. But Cougars sharpshooter Emanuel Sharp, the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers, sparked a game-changing run with three triples in a two-minute stretch.
Houston's defense, ranked second nationally in points per game allowed (62. 9), clamped down on Idaho during a 24-3 Cougars run that spanned nearly seven minutes. The Cougars shot 9 of 11 from the field during that surge.