Has Houston ever won March Madness? Exploring the Cougars' NCAA Tournament history

The Houston Cougars made the national championship game after defeating fellow No. 1-seed, Duke, 70-67 in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. The Cougars lost the first half 34-28 but came back strong in the second half, winning 42-33.

Since the arrival of coach Kelvin Sampson in 2014, the Cougars have been back to their best. While the program has not won an NCAA championship yet, Sampson will be aiming to rectify that on Monday against the Florida Gators.

Houston's March Madness appearances

Houston has made the NCAA Tournament 26 times since making a first appearance in 1956. The Cougars are on a run of seven consecutive attendances at the tournament (excluding the cancelled Covid year in 2020*). Let's take a look at how far they've gone in the past, and how often they've gotten there:

NCAA Tournament - Sweet 16

Houston made its first Sweet 16 appearance in 1956 and has since then gone on to make 17 appearances in the round. The Cougars have made the Sweet 16 in all of the last six seasons*, which is the longest streak in the nation, as per USA Today.

This season, the Cougars squeezed past Purdue 62-60 to make it through the Sweet 16.

NCAA Tournament - Elite Eight

The Cougars got their first Elite Eight appearance in 1967 and have made eight appearances in the round since then. They made back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2022 but missed out in 2023 and 2024. The Cougars more than righted that this year, and made it past the Elite Eight after defeating Tennessee 69-50.

NCAA Tournament - Final Four

Houston has been in the Final Four seven times, making their first appearance in 1967 and following that up with another appearance in 1968. A lengthy gap followed, but the Cougars returned to the Final Four in 1982, 1983 and 1984, before another hiatus that lasted until 2021.

Houston took down Duke in the Final Four in 2025, with a hard-fought game that ended 70-67 and sent the Cougars into the championship game.

NCAA Tournament - Championship Game

The Cougars have now made it to the championship game three times. They made back-to-back appearances in 1983 and 1984 against NC State and Georgetown.

While this year is the first time Houston has returned to the title game since then, fans are hoping Kelvin Sampson can lead the team to the program's first championship win. Sampson was vocal with the media after winning in the Final Four, telling the world, "Don't sleep on Houston." With everything on the line, be sure to tune in for the national championship on Monday.