SPOKANE, Wash. — It went from something like a tough 1,000-piece puzzle to three-dimensional, 5,000-piece doozy, game-planning for a rematch with UConn in the Elite Eight without superstar JuJu Watkins.

Monday's Spokane Region 4 final once looked destined to be a showdown of college basketball's two biggest stars. It will take on a different tone for No. 1 Southern California

No. 1 seed Houston is headed to the Final Four for the second time in the past five seasons after imposing its will on No. 2 seed Tennessee for a 69-50 win in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Cougars used a masterful defensive effort to build a 22-point first half lead and then held on late for their 17th consecutive victory.

A closer look at the Elite Eight matchup between Houston and Tennessee, with a final Four berth on the line Sunday.

With Auburn’s best player out of the mix, Michigan State had a chance down eight with less than seven minutes to play. Then Chad Baker-Mazara hit a triple following an offensive rebound and Tiger fans went wild when Broome came out of the locker room and straight onto the floor with 5:29 to play before hitting a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 12.