sport news No. 1 seed Houston stays alive after tough 81-64 win over nine-seed Auburn to ... trends now
When Marcus Sasser felt the occasional twinge in his groin, he simply blocked it out. With so much on the line, he was determined to stay on the court for top-seeded Houston.
Now, he's got a few more days to recuperate before the Sweet 16.
Tramon Mark scored a career-best 26 points and Sasser added 22 - including five 3-pointers - as the Cougars stifled local favorite Auburn in the second half for an 81-64 victory at the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.
The Cougars (33-3) wiped out a 10-point halftime deficit, returning after the break with a chip on their shoulders.
'We came out on fire,' Mark said. 'Everything was clicking for us in the second half.'
No. 1 seed Houston got their act together late in their game vs. 9-seed Auburn to advance
Essentially shutting down the lane, Houston played with the desperation of a national championship contender that wasn't ready to suffer the same fate as Purdue and Kansas - No. 1s that already were sent home.
Houston advanced to face either No. 4 Indiana or No. 5 Miami, which play Sunday, at the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Missouri.
All eyes were on Sasser at the start of the game as he continued to deal with a groin injury that forced him to sit out the second half of Houston's NCAA opener. But the All-American was determined to go all the way in this one.
The only thing that sent him to the bench was foul trouble, not the groin.
'I probably felt it a couple of times,' said Sasser, who played nearly 31 minutes. 'But it was pain I
