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Texas State teams performed well in the 2021 NCAA tournament, and Longhorn State will represent half of the Final Four field after Baylor and Houston both won the Elite Eight on Monday night. Baylor’s 81-72 win over Arkansas propelled the Bears to their first Final Four since 1950, while Houston’s 67-61 victory over Oregon State sent the Cougars there for the first time since. 1984.
With the two now set to face off on Saturday, the State of Texas is guaranteed to have a representative in the national title game on Monday night. Texas Tech, North Texas, Texas Southern, and Abilene Christian also won games in Big Dance, leaving the University of Texas as the only school in the state that failed to win a game.
Half of the Final Four is set. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander recap Monday night’s action on the latest episode of Eye on College Basketball.
But as the tournament comes to an end, the Cougars and Bears are still dancing and always coming back to the crazy state of football on the hardwood. They are the obvious winners of Monday night’s action, so here are some of the other scenarios from Monday’s first two Elite Eight games.
Winner: Baylor guards prove it again
Veteran guard play is a proven ingredient in championship teams, and that’s why Baylor is heading into the Final Four. The trio of Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague and Jared Butler combined for 48 points to wear the Bears on Monday. Throw 10 points from second red Adam Flager shirt, and the Bears’ short back produced 58 points while making 7 of 12 3-pointers.
Their collective performance sets up what should be an incredible Final Four game with Houston. The Cougars are one of the best defensive teams in the country, and are particularly adept at limiting marks to 3 points from their opponents. Don’t forget Baylor handyman striker Mark Vital. He doesn’t always get praise from skilled guards, but he put the final exclamation mark on Monday’s win with that vicious comeback dunk.
After scoring just 11 points from Arkansas’ previous two games, JD Notae exploded to 12 points in the first half on Monday. His contributions were vital in resuscitating the Razorbacks after falling behind 29-11 early in the first half. But within four minutes of recording for the second half, Notae committed a foul. Considering the 6-foot-1 goaltender had just two fouls at halftime, his quick build-up of three more was a stunning twist that interrupted some of Arkansas’ momentum.
Winner: The state of Oregon is adorable even when lost
In the first half, it looked like the fun was finally over, as if Oregon State was finally running out of gas and was going to get trampled after six straight wins. But the Beavers again put their resilience on display on Monday night as they recovered from a 17-point deficit to tie Houston at 55-all with 3:46 to go.
The historic comeback attempt failed in the end, but even when defeated, the state of Oregon gave its supporters reason to be proud. It was a special race for a long inactive program, and the exit was graceful.
Loser: the free throw strikes again
One night after Alabama’s 11 of 25 free-throw performances cost him a chance to qualify for the Elite Eight, the state of Oregon also struggled to play the charity role. The Beavers made just 11 out of 20 free throws, including a horrific 1 in 6 performance in the first half. Such a fundamental part of the game shouldn’t be an issue so late in the season with so much on the line. But on consecutive nights it has haunted teams that have found themselves on the losing side in close games.
Winner: Kelvin Sampson back in the Final Four
The fraternity of elite college basketball coaches aged 65 and over is strong, but Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, 65, probably deserves a seat at the table with figures like Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams , Tom Izzo and Jim Boeheim. He certainly will if his Cougars win a national title. Otherwise, give him at least a place of honor at the table with Leonard Hamilton, Rick Barnes and Lon Kruger.
On the one hand, no one from either of these groups has ever suffered a penalty for demonstrating. But Sampson endured what amounted to a five-year ban in 2008 for violations in Indiana and returned to lead a once dying program to the top of the sport. Sampson ventured into the NBA as an assistant during his show-cause, and when he returned to the college game in 2014, Houston had only played one NCAA tournament in the past 22 seasons. . Now he has the Cougars in the Final Four.
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