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Houston Shocks Kansas After Trailing by Six Points With Under 10 Seconds Remaining

What an improbable stretch.

Blake Silverman

Houston Cougars guard Sharp celebrates after scoring against the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime at Allen Fieldhouse.
Houston Cougars guard Sharp celebrates after scoring against the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime at Allen Fieldhouse. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The Houston Cougars pulled off one of the most improbable wins you'll ever see Saturday. They took down the Kansas Jayhawks 92-86 in two overtimes following an incredible comeback in the final seconds of the first OT period.

Kansas led Houston by six points with 18.3 seconds to go in OT as Jayhawks guard Dajuan Harris Jr. stepped to the foul line for two free throws and an opportunity to ice the game. He missed both, with the second shot bouncing into Houston big man Joseph Tugler's hands which sent the Cougars off quickly into transition.

Emanuel Sharp hit a deep, contested three-pointer with 7.5 seconds to go, cutting Houston's deficit to only three. Kansas struggled to inbound the ball following the play, which led to a quick timeout from Bill Self. The defensive pressure continued after the stoppage as a pass from Kansas' Zeke Mayo was tipped into the hands of Houston's Mylik Wilson, who then drained a three with 4.3 seconds left to tie the game and force a second overtime.

You can watch the full, improbable stretch here:

According to Jared Berson and KenPom, Houston had a 0.4% chance to beat Kansas as the Jayhawks had a six-point lead in the final seconds of the first OT period. ESPN's win probability chart gave the Jayhawks a 99% chance to win the game in those final seconds as well.

Houston went on to finish the job in the next OT, getting out to an early lead and eventually winning the game 92-86. Also according to Berson, as he posted on X, Houston's win was the most unlikely between AP Top-25 teams over the past 15 seasons.

The No. 7-ranked Cougars survived over the No. 12-ranked Jayhawks in remarkable fashion, as Houston advanced to 16-3 on the season and remained undefeated in Big 12 play. Kansas dropped to 14-5 and has a chance to get the sour taste out of their mouth Tuesday against UCF.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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