The Hurricanes were unusually loose against the Cougars, the last No. 1 seed in the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament. Now Miami, not Houston, is pushing for a Final Four.
The 1982-83 Houston Cougars, a sensation nicknamed Phi Slama Jama, lost the N.C.A.A. men’s title game to North Carolina State on a dunk in the final moments.
The Cougars and Crimson Tide, the remaining No. 1s in the N.C.A.A. men’s tournament, both played this weekend in Birmingham, Ala. They will headline a wide-open round of 16.
Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue earned No. 1 seeds in a tournament where top teams seem more beatable than usual, and others that usually might be considered upstarts have viable paths to the championship.