UH gets Sweet 16 matchup against Syracuse next

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The University of Houston Cougars are headed to the Sweet 16 after taking down Rutgers 63-60 in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The Cougars are on an impressive streak, winning the last eight consecutive games in the regular and postseasons combined.

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Houston is a No. 2 seed and faced 10th-seeded Rutgers in the Midwest Region's second round on Sunday.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson earned his 664th win against Cleveland State in first-round play, No. 38 all-time, in his first game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington since resigning as Indiana's coach in February 2008.

Hanging with Houston, No. 6 in the AP poll, was simply too much to ask for Cleveland State - even on a neutral court that had at least a measure of tournament atmosphere. Fans gathered early in the concourse, took photos of statues, lined up for concessions and some brought signs.

"That's a one seed, I'm telling you," Vikings coach Dennis Gates said. "They can score the basketball in every which way possible. They do a great job defensively of not fouling. We didn't play our very best but that was because of the University of Houston. They put us on our heels."

Houston was one of three Texas teams that made appearances during the first two days of the tourney. Texas Southern drew an ace in a First Four victory Thursday. Texas Tech made it a pair by beating Utah State in the early game Friday and the Cougars made it three of a kind with Friday night's victory. No Texas teams are scheduled to play in Bloomington on Saturday and tourney games after the first round will be played in Indianapolis.

The Associated Press and ESPN contributed to this report.