No. 1 seed Houston is headed to the Final Four for the second time in the past five seasons after imposing its will on No. 2 seed Tennessee for a 69-50 win in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Cougars used a masterful defensive effort to build a 22-point first half lead and then held on late for their 17th consecutive victory.

Tennessee veterans Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack were part of the Volunteers team that lost to Purdue in the Elite Eight last year. They could have left to explore their professional basketball opportunities, but decided to return to Tennessee for another opportunity like the one they have today.

Houston faced a stern test from Purdue Friday night winning 62-60 on a last second driving layup from Milos Uzan. The Boilermakers rallied in the final minutes from a five-point deficit to tie it with under three seconds to play only to see Uzan score two of his game-high 22 points to secure the win for the Cougars.