The 2025 NCAA Tournament field is officially set after it was revealed on Selection Sunday. The four No. 1 seeds in the Field of 68 are Houston, Duke, Florida and Auburn with Bruce Pearl’s team earning the top overall seed despite not even winning the SEC tournament.
This time around, there are many questions as to which team will cut down the nets as the national champion. For the past two years, it was the UConn Huskies, although Dan Hurley’s team has underperformed in 2024-25 and enters as an 8-seed.
While each No. 1 seed has a decent path to the Final Four, the Houston Cougars are one team to keep an eye on. There are some high hopes that Houston can cut down the nets and capture the crown.
Houston won the Big 12 tournament by defeating Colorado, BYU and Arizona in three straight days. Moreover, the Cougars have won 13 in a row and have not lost a game since February 1, when they lost to Texas Tech by one point. In fact, that marked Houston’s only loss in the Big 12, which means they have just one loss since December 1. The other losses have come to San Diego State, Alabama, and Auburn, all of whom are in the Field of 68.
Still, there are some reasons to be worried about Houston, and here is why they are on upset alert.
Injuries could derail a Final Four run for Houston
The biggest concern for Houston is the injury issues. While Houston is generally healthy, star forward J’Wan Roberts missed the last two Big 12 tournament games against BYU and Arizona.
Roberts suffered an ankle injury in the Big 12 tournament opener against Colorado, which forced him to miss the rest of that game. However, Roberts didn’t seem too worried about the injury.
“It’s painful for sure, but I should be good. I should be good to go tomorrow…(on taking a more cautious approach) Definitely, knowing that March Madness starts next week. But I want to play every game that leads up to that. But these next couple of games that are coming up, I definitely want to be cautious and be 100%.”
There are some optimistic signs for Houston and Roberts, and it was reported on Sunday that he was receiving treatment and would be re-evaluated ahead of the Round of 64 game against SIU Edwardsville.
Still, Roberts is a key piece. He is averaging 11.1 points with 6.4 rebounds per game on a 50.5 percent clip from the field. In the regular season finale against Baylor, Roberts had 11 points with 10 rebounds.
If he isn’t able to go — or reinjured his ankle — it will be a tough obstacle to overcome.
Houston has a tricky path to navigate
Another big reason for concern is Houston’s unfortunate path. Yes, a 1-16 matchup almost always favors the 1-seed, and Houston should have no issues against SIU Edwardsville on Thursday. However, in the Round of 32, Houston will face the winner of Georgia-Gonzaga.
Gonzaga is always a tough team in the NCAA Tournament, and Georgia is an up-and-coming SEC team that could also give Houston headaches. If the Cougars get past Georgia-Gonzaga, that means a Swet 16 showdown against one of Purdue, Clemson, High Point or McNeese. To go even further, Kencutky and Tennessee sit at the bottom of the Midwest Region bracket, and the VOlunteers made the Elite Eight a year ago.
All in all, there are some obstacles for Houston.
A shaky NCAA Tournament run in past years
This marks the third straight year Houston is a No. 1 seed in March Madness. Unfortunately, the Kelvin Sampson’s team has been unable to get over the Elite Eight hump. In 2024, Houston lost to No. 4 Duke in the Sweet 16. In 2023, they fell to No. 5 Miami also in the Sweet 16.
However, in 2022 the Cougars made the Elite Eight as a No. 5 seed before losing to Villanova and in 2021, Houston made the Final Four as a No. 2 seed before falling to Baylor in the Final Four.
Nonetheless, expectations are high for Houston, and if they don’t get to the Final Four as a 1-seed, it will mark the third straight year they have fallen short.
The post Why Houston basketball is on upset alert in 2025 NCAA Tournament appeared first on ClutchPoints.
