It's A Great Time To Love Houston Sports Teams

HOUSTON — Fans of Houston sports fans may be feeling an overwhelming sense of giddiness, and it's not because spring is in full bloom. In fact, there are a lot of reasons for Houston sports faces to wake up smiling this week.

One of those reasons has everything to do with March Madness, and the University of Houston Cougars, who rolled over two formidable opponents last weekend to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA playoffs.

While it's a feat some college teams take for granted, it hadn't happened since 1984 when NBA hall of famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler hit the hardwood for the crew of Phi Slamma Jama and advance to the final four. The Cougars hope to stay hot and will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in a Friday night match up.

To add to the magic, James Harden and the Houston Rockets are also red hot. The Rockets fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 108-94, and will host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. The Rockets have been beyond competitive this season with Harden posting at least three games of 60-plus points.

The Rockets are poised to the number 3-seed in the Western Conference, behind top-rated Golden State Warriors and the 2-seeded Nuggets. The NBA regular season wraps up in two weeks.

On Thursday, the Houston Astros kick off the 2019 baseball season with a four-game stand against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. The Astros are among the top teams in The American League, with odds makers giving the 'Stros a 13.3 percent chance of making it to the World Series.

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Last week, the Astros inked pitching ace Justin Verlander to a 3-year extension that will keep him in the clubhouse through 2021. Verlander will start the season against the Devil Rays. Some of the notable absences this season include pitchers Charlie Morton and Dallas Kuechle, who left in free agency, and Lance McCullers Jr, who is out this season after having Tommy John surgery in the off season. Marwin Gonzalez, who'd served as a valuable utility player in years past, also left in free agency and signed with Minnesota in the off season. The first pitch in the Astros-Devil Rays game happens at 3 p.m.

Although it's still weeks away, the Houston Texans, who won the AFC South division in 2018 with an 11-5 record, are hoping to improve their roster through the upcoming NFL draft in April.

The team did make some moves in free agency this off season, signing quarterback A.J. McCarron, offensive tackle Matt Kalil, tight end Darren Fells and a pair of safety's.

The Texans placed the franchise tag on linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, and hope to work out a long term deal this season. However, the Texans lost other key defensive players are on other teams.

Safety's Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu were lost to the AFC West. The draft looms large for the AFC South division winners, who are looking to add help on both sides of the ball, particularly on the offensive line, which was the team's weakest link last season.

In a perfect world, Clowney gets a long term deal, the issues on the offensive line are fixed, and the Texans manage to progress beyond the Wildcard round of the playoffs. Just having one of these happen cold give Texans fans a reason to smile in 2019.

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