:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72090568/usa_today_20265415.0.jpg "2023 March Madness bracket: Who is Houston playing in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament")
With a dramatic second half comeback, the No. 1 Houston Cougars knocked off the No. 9 Auburn Tigers 81-64 in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. As the top seed of the Midwest Region, we'll take a look at who they'll face in the Sweet 16 next weekend.
2023 March Madness bracket
The Cougars will face the winner of the No. 4 Indiana vs. the No. 5 Miami in the Sweet 16 round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The game will take place on Friday, March 24 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. The tip-off time will be announced on Sunday.
Houston has faced Indiana just once, a 75-72 Hoosier victory in December of 1972. A storyline heading into that potential matchup would center around Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson facing his former program in IU for the very first time. Sampson was the head coach at Indiana for nearly two full seasons before being forced to resign due to NCAA recruiting violations in 2008. He was hit with a five-year show cause penalty and landed at Houston once it expired.
Houston has faced Miami 14 times in its history, owning a 9-5 record. The Cougars and Hurricanes regularly met during the Guy Lewis era and the last time they met was in February of 1971.