After defeating No. 16 SIU Edwardsville, the Cougars beat No. 8 Gonzaga. Then, they upended No. 4 Purdue and No. 2 Tennessee to reach the Final Four. Houston became the first program since 2017 North Carolina to navigate the most difficult seed path possible for a No. 1 team.

After missing an opportunity Monday to move closer to clinching the Western Conference's No. 2 seed, the Houston Rockets get another chance Wednesday night when they host the Utah Jazz.

The Road to the Final Four will be set by the end of Sunday when the last two tickets to San Antonio are punched by the winners of the two Elite Eight games on the schedule. There may not be a "Cinderella" left in the 2025 NCAA Tournament,