In December, guard Terrance Arcenaux tore his Achilles tendon during a game against Texas A&M. He would be followed by forward Joseph Tuggler with a broken foot and then Ramon Walker, Jr. with a knee problem. Even big man J'wan Roberts nearly missed the tournament with a shin injury. Just minutes into overtime against Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night, they lost the fourth of their starting five, this time to the officials instead of the medical staff.

They still won.

In March Madness, the mantra is "survive and advance," and few have done it thus far quite like the UH Cougars. They became the first team since 1987 to foul out four players in a tournament game an win.

“We just found a way,” Coach Kelvin Sampson said after the game. “All these years I’ve been doing this stuff, I don’t know if there’s a more satisfying win than tonight."

Jamal Shead, the team's All-American guard and Big 12 Player of the Year, was spectacular, scoring 21 and dishing out 10 assists before fouling out himself in overtime. Emanuel Sharp, Shead's backcourt mate, filled it up with 30 points, going 7-14 from deep.

In a tough, physical game, it felt like the Aggies were playing the role of Cinderella, particularly when they hit a three to tie the game at the buzzer and send it into overtime. But, as usual for the top-seeded Coogs, the grit and determination that has been the staple of their play all year emerged again in the extra frame to seal the win. Even seldom used Ryan Elvin had his Ollie from Hoosiers moment, sinking a key free throw in extra time.

After the game, there was an emotional scene in the locker room where Sampson said a word about former teammate Reggie Cheney, who died last year at just 23-years old. Shead, in his comments to CBS during postgame, had pointed to the number 32 patch on his jersey and said, "I miss my dog." Shead and Walker, who has managed to make a speedy recovery from injury, sat next to Sampson and cried as the team dedicated that moment to Cheney's memory.

It's one more loss off the floor in a year that has brought so many wins on it. Now, they have a few days to rest — Shead played every minute of the game before fouling out — before facing Duke in Dallas in the Sweet 16 round of the tournament. Young bodies tend to heal quickly. They will be ready just like they have been all year, no matter what they had to face. Sampson knows it. "Our kids are tough, man."