Houston-Gonzaga set for collision course after dominant first-round wins

Midwest Region No. 1 seed Houston and No. 8 seed Gonzaga looked like potential Final Four teams in its first-round romps on Thursday, but only one will make it to the NCAA Tournament's second weekend.

Saturday's game between the Cougars and Bulldogs is set to be the best of the weekend.

Houston, winners of 14 in a row, rode its smothering defense to an easy 78-40 win over No. 16-seed SIU-Edwardsville. It was an impressive victory, even for a 1 vs. 16 game. The 40 points the Cougars allowed were their fewest in 21 NCAA Tournament games under head coach Kelvin Sampson (2018-25).

SIU-Edwardsville shot 30.6%, ending the game with two more field goals (15) than turnovers (13).

Gonzaga's 89-68 win over No. 9-seed Georgia was even more impressive. The Northwest Bulldogs raced out to a 25-3 lead against their Southeastern counterparts and finished the game shooting 12-of-20 from three-point range (60%), their most threes in the NCAA Tournament since the first round in 2021.

Houston and Gonzaga have been among the best college basketball programs in recent years, but one will have a remarkable streak snapped with a loss in the second round.

Houston has made five consecutive Sweet 16s, while Gonzaga has reached the Sweet 16 in nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Both are program records.

Saturday's meeting will be a fascinating battle of styles. Entering Thursday, Houston ranked second in the country in scoring defense (58.5 points per game allowed), while Gonzaga was second in scoring (86.6 points per game).

The Bulldogs are third in the nation in field goal percentage (50%), while the Cougars have limited opponents to 38.3% shooting.

Both teams rank in the top 10 in KenPom and NET, making this a game we'd expect to see with a spot in the Final Four or Elite Eight on the line, not a trip to the regional semifinal.

Arguably, no two teams looked better than Houston and Gonzaga on the 2025 NCAA Tournament's first full day of action. For one of those squads, the good times won't last for long.