Milos Uzan's late bucket on inbound play sends Houston into Elite Eight with 62-60 win over Purdue

Milos Uzan’s late bucket on inbound play sends Houston into Elite Eight with 62-60 win over Purdue

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Houston’s Milos Uzan (7) scores past Purdue’s C.J. Cox (0) with less than a second left during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Milos Uzan (7) is congratulated by teammate Joseph Tugler after making a basket against Purdue with less than a second left during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Emanuel Sharp (21) celebrates during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Purdue Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer, right, looks to pass around Houston’s Emanuel Sharp (21) during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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Members of Purdue huddle before the start of their Sweet 16 game against Houston in the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Boston College guard Alex Dragicevich shoots against Purdue in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

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Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, center, has the ball knocked away by Houston’s L.J. Cryer, right, and Joseph Tugler (11) during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is seen on the sidelines during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Purdue Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Purdue’s Braden Smith (3) handles the ball as Houston’s Milos Uzan (7), Joseph Tugler (11) and J’Wan Roberts (13) defend during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer (2) celebrates after scoring during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Houston Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis (5) drives to the basket past Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, center, holds the ball as Houston’s L.J. Cryer, right, and Ja’Vier Francis defend during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) and Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis (5) reach for a rebound during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s J’Wan Roberts dunks during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Purdue Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Emanuel Sharp passes during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Purdue Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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Houston’s Joseph Tugler dives after a loose ball as Purdue’s Caleb Furst (1) and Will Berg (44) watch during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Emanuel Sharp, bottom, and Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn dive after a loose ball during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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Houston’s Joseph Tugler, right, knocks the ball away from Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Milos Uzan points during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Purdue Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Purdue’s Braden Smith, left, tries to inbound the ball as Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis (5) defends during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Houston’s Mylik Wilson (8) falls over Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) while reaching for a ball during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

By MICHAEL MAROT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Houston spent time this week practicing an inbound play that coach Kelvin Sampson thought his team might need against Purdue.

Milos Uzan, the third option, ran it to perfection.

He tossed the ball to Joseph Tugler, who threw a bounce pass right back to Uzan, and the 6-foot-4 guard soared to the rim for an uncontested layup with 0.9 seconds left, giving the top-seeded Cougars a 62-60 victory — and a matchup with second-seeded Tennessee in Sunday’s Elite Eight.

“Great execution at a time we needed that,” said Sampson, who is a win away from making his third Final Four and his second with Houston in five years. “You never know when you’re going to need it.”

The Cougars (33-4) made only one other basket over the final eight minutes, wasted a 10-point lead and then missed two more shots in the final 5 seconds. A replay review with 2.2 seconds left confirmed Houston would keep the ball when it rolled out of bounds after the second miss.

Uzan took over from there.

“I was trying to hit (L.J. Cryer) and then JoJo just made a great read,” Uzan said. “He was able to draw two (defenders) and he just made a great play to hit me back.”

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Purdue's Braden Smith (3) looks to the basket as Houston's Mylik Wilson (8) defends during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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Auburn center Dylan Cardwell celebrates a win against Michigan after the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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Houston advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in five years after falling in the Sweet 16 as a top seed in the previous two editions of March Madness. It will take the nation’s longest winning streak, 16 games, into Sunday’s Midwest Region final.

The Cougars joined the other three No. 1 seeds in this year’s Elite Eight and did it at Lucas Oil Stadium, where their 2021 tourney run ended with a loss in the Final Four to eventual national champion Baylor.

They haven’t lost since Feb. 1.

Uzan scored 22 points and Emanuel Sharp had 17 as Houston survived an off night from leading scorer Cryer, who finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Houston still had to sweat out a half-court heave at the buzzer, but Braden Smith’s shot was well off the mark.

Fletcher Loyer scored 16 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14 and Smith, the Big Ten player of the year, added seven points and 15 assists for fourth-seeded Purdue (24-12). Smith assisted on all 11 second-half baskets for last year’s national runner-up, which played in front of a friendly crowd about an hour’s drive from its campus in West Lafayette.

“I thought we fought really hard and we dug down defensively to get those stops to come back,” Smith said. “We did everything we could and we just had a little miscommunication at the end and they converted. Props to them.”

Houston appeared on the verge of disaster when Kaufman-Renn scored on a dunk and then blocked Cryer’s shot with 1:17 to go, leading to Camden Heide’s 3 that tied the score at 60 with 35 seconds left.

Sampson called timeout to set up the final play, but Uzan missed a turnaround jumper and Tugler’s tip-in rolled off the rim and out of bounds. The Cougars got one more chance after the replay review.

Sharp’s scoring flurry early in the second half finally gave Houston some separation after a back-and-forth first half. His 3-pointer at the 16:14 mark made it 40-32. After Purdue trimmed the deficit to four, Uzan made two 3s to give Houston a 10-point lead in a tough, physical game that set up a rare dramatic finish in this year’s tourney.

“Smith was guarding the inbounder, so he had to take JoJo,” Sampson said. “That means there was no one there to take Milos. That’s why you work on that stuff day after day.”

Takeaways

Purdue: Coach Matt Painter’s Boilermakers stumbled into March Madness with six losses in their final nine games but proved themselves a worthy competitor by fighting their way into the Sweet 16 and nearly taking down a No. 1 seed.

Houston: The Cougars lead the nation in 3-point percentage and scoring defense, an enviable combination.

Scary fall

Houston guard Mylik Wilson gave the Cougars a brief scare with 13:23 left in the game. He leapt high into the air to grab a rebound and drew a foul on Kaufman-Renn.

As the play continued, Wilson was undercut and his body twisted around before he landed on his head. Wilson stayed down momentarily, rubbing his head, but eventually got up and remained in the game.

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