The No. 2 seed Houston Cougars overwhelmingly defeated the No. 10 seed Texas A&M Aggies 88-57 in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City. The decisive victory advances Houston to the Sweet 16 and secures a massive situational advantage for the program. The Cougars will play their regional semifinal matchup, and potentially the Elite Eight, at the Toyota Center in their home city of Houston, cementing their status as a heavy national title contender.
Texas A&M held an early 11-9 lead before Houston responded with a crushing 18-0 scoring run. That surge allowed the Cougars to take a commanding 46-28 advantage into halftime. Houston dominated the interior throughout the contest, out-rebounding the Aggies 46-29, grabbing 19 offensive boards, and blocking seven shots.
Emanuel Sharp led all scorers with 18 points. Freshman Chris Cenac Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Milos Uzan contributed 15 points to the balanced offensive effort. Texas A&M was led by reserve Josh Holloway, who scored 12 points.
It is a massive night in Oklahoma City, Okla., as No. 10 Texas A&M takes on No. 2 Houston in a battle for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Follow along with LIVE coverage of the NCAA Tournament matchup between the Aggies and Cougars here:https://t.co/CcpijYnhW8
— Dylan Flippo (@dylanmflippo) March 21, 2026
The blowout served as a direct sequel to the 2024 NCAA Tournament Round of 32, where Houston narrowly survived Texas A&M 100-95 in overtime. The Aggies finish their season at 22-12 following their first tournament appearance under head coach Bucky McMillan. Houston advances to its seventh consecutive Sweet 16 under head coach Kelvin Sampson and awaits the winner of the matchup between No. 3 Illinois and No. 11 VCU.