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Elite defenses meet up in Midwest final

On Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, Joseph Tugler of the Cougars and Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack of the Volunteers, three of the four finalists for national defensive player of the year, will face off.
Both Houston, with a record of 33-4, and Tennessee, with a record of 30-7, boast strong defenses, with Houston giving up the fewest points in the nation and Tennessee being in the top eight in scoring defense.
Kelvin Sampson, the 69-year-old coach of Houston who took over the Cougars in 2014, is focused on Zakai Zeigler, acknowledging his dynamic impact on the game despite using ball screens less often, while also emphasizing that "Defense is the foundation of Sampson's program."
Tennessee is coming off a 78-65 victory against Kentucky on Friday, where they held Kentucky 20 points under its season scoring average by limiting their 3-point shooting, while Houston advanced after a close 62-60 Sweet 16 win against Purdue, secured by Milos Uzan's layup with 0.9 seconds left.
Houston aims for its first Final Four since 2021, while Tennessee seeks its first national semifinal in program history, with players like Mashack and Zeigler determined to "finish the job" after losing to Purdue in the Elite Eight last year with a score of 72-66.

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Ice Dogs swept by Windigo in battle of Midwest Division’s top two teams

The Midwest Division's best two teams faced off Friday and Saturday as the Ice Dogs hosted the Wisconsin Windigo for a series that could potentially determine the top team in the division.

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