INDIANAPOLIS — For the second-straight year, Tennessee is on the edge of the promised land.

The 2-seed Vols punched their ticket to the Elite Eight with a complete dismantling of 3-seed Kentucky, 78-65 inside Lucas Oil Stadium Friday and are back within reach of the program's first-ever Final Four. Again.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Standing in the way is 1-seed Houston, which beat 4-seed Purdue, 62-60 after Milos Uzan was left completely unaccounted for after in-bounding the ball with 2.8 seconds left to put the Cougars ahead for good.

And so it is set: Tennessee and Houston, two teams that pride themselves on defense and have the numbers to back it up, will play for a Final Four berth on Sunday (2:20 p.m. ET, CBS).

The Vols (30-7), who dominated Kentucky on the boards to the tune of a +10 rebound margin and 19 second chance points while suffocating the Wildcats on the perimeter, rank No. 3 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Tennessee spent much of the season at No. 1 in that category. The Cougars (33-4) now hold that spot, allowing just 88.0 points per opponents 100 possessions.

A defensive ranking is the least of the prizes up for grabs on Sunday, though. The Vols are playing their best basketball of the season--on both ends, beating Wofford, UCLA and Kentucky to get to this point with record-setting performances from Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler.

Houston hasn't lost a game since Feb. 1. The Cougars have rattled off 16-straight victories, including wins over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Gonzaga and Purdue to position themselves for their second Final Four berth in five years.

Defense will be the headliner, but Houston can score, too. It struggled to against the Boilermakers and it nearly cost it its season, but the Cougars lead the country in three-point percentage at nearly 40% per game and have three scorers in L.J. Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Uzan, the hero of the Purdue game.

The good news for Tennessee is that it bullied a Kentucky team that around 38% from deep, holding it to 6-of-15 after the Wildcats shot 50% in the two regular season meetings.

Lanier has been at his best offensively in the postseason, averaging 18.6 points in his last six outings. The Vols will continue to need the best version of him, as well strong scoring performances from Zeigler and Jordan Gainey off of the bench.

Who: 2-seed Tennessee (30-7) vs. 1-seed Houston (33-4)

When: Sunday, March 30 | 2:20 p.m. ET

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis

TV: CBS (Andrew Catalon, play-by-play; Steve Lappas, analyst; Evan Washburn, reporter)

Radio: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, play-by-play; Bert Bertelkamp, analyst)

Series: Sixth meeting all-time (Tennessee leads, 3-2)

KenPom Projection: Houston 63, Tennessee 61

POINTS PER GAME

Tennessee 74.7

Houston 74.2

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Houston 45.8%

Tennessee 45.5%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE

Houston 39.8%

Tennessee 34.0%

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Rick Barnes said before Tennessee plays Houston

ASSISTS

Tennessee 15.5

Houston 12.0

REBOUNDS

Tennessee 36.6

Houston 36.2

BLOCKS

Tennessee 5.0

Houston 4.6

-- Tennessee and Houston have played five times, with the Vols holding a 3-2 edge in the series all-time. The two teams played twice in 1970, splitting games in Knoxville and Los Angeles. The Cougars won again in 1971, but Tennessee has won the last two match ups in 1994 and 1995.

-- Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson have plenty of familiarity with one another. Both are North Carolina natives and both coached in the Big 12, Barnes at Texas and Sampson at Oklahoma between 1998-2006. Sampson was 12-8 in those clashes, but Barnes' teams won 6-3 in the last nine.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said about Tennessee

-- Tennessee and Houston boast two of the best defenses in college basketball, with the Cougars ranked first in adjusted defensive efficiency and the Vols third nationally. The match up will feature three players that are Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalists in Tennessee guards Zakai Zeigler and Jahami Mashack and Houston guard Joseph Tugler.

-- Tennessee is playing in the Elite Eight for the third time in program history and the second-straight season. The Vols first reached the Elite Eight in 2009-10 and again last season, falling to Purdue one game short of their first Final Four. Sunday will mark the first time that Tennessee has played 38 games in a single season.

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