Houston basketball guard Emanuel Sharp recalls the final seconds in last year's national title game. That Florida loss inspires him to shed a different kind of tears in 2026 March Madness as he described.
While he's downplaying feeling effected by the final seconds of that 65-63 defeat, Sharp dropped his motivation before this NCAA Tournament run takes shape.
“I’m trying to get to the end. I’m trying to cry tears of joy, not sadness,” Sharp told reporters.
Houston guard Emanuel Sharp says he’s not getting caught up in emotion of this being his last NCAA Tournament.
“I’m trying to get to the end … I’m trying to cry tears of joy, not sadness.” pic.twitter.com/G3OvWJsowe— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) March 18, 2026
Sharp is on his final voyage with Houston. He aims to still approach this tourney the same way he attacked the 2025 one.
But does this year's Cougars present the best chance to write a different ending compared to last season?
Looking at Houston's chances with Emanuel Sharp and company
Houston landed in the bottom half of the South Regional. Yet gets a home crowd on its side for Thursday, as UH heads to Oklahoma City to start the tourney.
The Cougars and Sharp avoided the East bracket, arguably the toughest one in this version of the Madness. Hence why Houston earns an easy road to the Final Four compared to teams like Duke, UConn, even the top seed in the South Florida.
Sharp comprises a three-headed monster at guard with Milos Uzan and impact freshman Kingston Flemings. Head coach Kelvin Sampson mixes in bullying size in the frontcourt to balance out Houston's scoring options.
Houston could still get tripped up by Big Sky champion Idaho, though. The Vandals are aggressive with rebounding and are effective with the three-point game.
But Houston goes on a run if Sharp plays inspired basketball from that last tournament loss.
