Image Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Has Houston ever won NCAA Basketball championship?

Houston last played a NCAA basketball championship in 1984.

Image Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Houston men’s basketball team created history in San Antonio on Saturday night as they dropped a comeback for the ages to knock down the Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four. The Cougars scripted a stunning comeback from a 14-point deficit to defeat the Blues Devils 70-67 and advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1984.

(1) HOUSTON IS #NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOUND 🤩

The Cougars STORM back from 14 down to defeat (1) Duke 70-67 in a #MFinalFour CLASSIC 🔥 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/1Lt3B6B6qg
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025

The Cougars were led by LJ Cryer, who scored 26 points, including 14 in the second half. Emanuel Sharp finished with 16 points and dropped nine down the stretch. Houston also halted their seven-game Final Four losing streak. Kelvin Sampson’s side will face Florida on Monday, Apr. 7 in the Championship game. The Gators defeated the overall top-seed Tigers 79-73 in the first game of the day.

“No one ever loses at anything as long as you don’t quit,” coach Kelvin Sampson said after ending the 41-year drought. “We felt like if we could get it close enough to put some game pressure on them, that something good could happen.”

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Has Houston won a National Championship in Basketball?

Following a comeback win over the Duke basketball team, Houston ended its longest drought of not playing the NCCA Championship game. The Cougars came close to ending their Final Four jinx seven times during this period but they always ended up as a losing side. Before the game, Houston was +215 underdogs and Duke was a -260 favorite.

Houston have appeared in NCAA tournaments 26 times and their combined record is 45-30 in March Madness. The Cougars qualified for the Final Four seven times and Saturday’s victory over Duke was their first win in Final Four. They have a record of not winning a national championship for most number of Final Four appearances.

WHAT A FEELING FOR HOUSTON 🤯

SCENES AS THE BUZZER SOUNDED ON AN INSANE COMEBACK 🚨#MarchMadness #MFinalFour @UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/UK4ZSyPtRi
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025

Houston has never won a National Championship in Basketball. They have reached the title game two times only and ended up as runner-ups. They are one of the few teams who played the Championship game for two straight years.

Year (When Houston played Championship game)	Final Result
1983	Lost to North Carolina 63-68
1984	Lost to NC State 52-54
2025	TBD

Image Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.