Houston has registered a top-10 defense in each of the past five years. Last season, the Cougars ranked first in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to BartTorvik.com. So there's a lot of evidence to suggest that if you ever need multiple stops in the final seconds of a one-point game to secure a victory, having five dudes in Cougars jerseys is probably your best bet.

It certainly was Sunday.

Final score: Houston 73, Auburn 72.

Steven Pearl's Tigers actually had three different opportunities to take the lead in the final 15 seconds. The first two were shots, both from Tahaad Pettiford, both of which were blocked. The last opportunity was an inbounds pass that was broken up at the buzzer, allowing the Cougars to escape with a nice non-league victory away from home in their first con

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