No. 1 Houston closed the regular season in style on Sunday by knocking off Memphis 67-65 on a buzzer=beater from Jamal Shead. The junior guard's game-winner from near the top of the key came just seconds after Kendric Davis tied the game for Memphis in a slugfest of a game between the top two teams in the AAC. The Cougars have now 11 games in a row, extending the longest of their impressive three winning streaks over the course of the season.
Memphis (23-8, 13-5 AAC) rallied from a 12-point deficit early in the second half to briefly take a 56-51 lead with 8:31 remaining. But the Cougars (29-2, 17-1) responded with a 10-0 run to demonstrate why they are projected as a No. 1 seed in Jerry Palm's Bracketology.
Shead and Tramon Mark finished with 16 apiece for Houston, while Marcus Sasser and Jarace Walker also reached double figures. Davis led Memphis with 26 points as the Tigers tried to avenge a 72-64 loss at Houston from Feb. 19. Davis was unavailable for that game due to an ankle injury, and he changed the dynamics of the rematch.
In the end, however, Houston's coolness under pressure won out. Tthe Cougars offered an answer for everything Memphis could muster in front of a rowdy home crowd. With Houston set to be the No. 1 seed and Memphis locked in as the No. 2 seed for the AAC Tournament, these teams could meet again next Sunday in the AAC Tournament championship game.