The state of Texas is smiling as the first two tickets to the Final Four were punched, and both schools call the Lone Star State home. Baylor is in the Final Four for the first time in 71 years. Houston returns to the Final Four after a 37-year absence.

Top-seed Baylor edged No. 3 Arkansas 81-72 in a game of runs. The Bears raced out to an 18-point in the first half. Both teams torched the nets in the opening 20 minutes. The Razorbacks converted on 63% of their shots, and the Bears knocked down 56% of their attempts from the floor.

The Razorbacks, who overcame double-digit deficits in all three of their tournament victories, did not let that be the end of the story as they cut the deficit to four in the second half. At that point, Baylor reeled off an 8-1 run to extend the lead back to double figures as Arkansas went cold from the field and failed to hit a shot over an eight-minute span.

“When we got down, we could’ve hung our heads,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said, according to CBS Sports. “We played really hard. But we lacked some scoring at times, and defensively they hit some tough shots on us.”

Baylor’s Marcio Teague poured in a game-high 22 points with five rebounds. Jared Butler added 14 points and five assists, and Davion Mitchell contributed 12 points and six assists.

“When we’re at our best, everyone is sacrificing for each other,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “This whole year, that’s why we’ve won. Their character is impeccable. As good as they are as players, they’re better people. If you’re going to be in the bubble for a couple of weeks, you want to be with people you love. This couldn’t happen to a better bunch.”

The Razorbacks were led by 14 points apiece from Davonte Davis and JD Notae. Davis also pulled down six boards.

In the first game of the night, No. 2 Houston ended the magical run of 12-seed Oregon State. 67-61. The Cougars doubled up the Beavers 34-17 in the first half. OSU stormed back and knotted the score at 55 with 3:46 left in the game. Houston outscored Oregon State 12-6 the rest of the way.

“Proud of these kids, proud of the heart, proud of battling through so many things this year,” Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “For this team to be 28-3 and going to the Final Four, this is one of the greatest accomplishments I’ve been around, and I have this group of players and this staff, everyone on this staff, all the players to thank for it. I’m glad they let me go along on the ride with them.”

This game was Sampson’s 1,000^th game as a head coach. He boasts a 667-333 record in his career.

Houston’s Marcus Sasser poured in 20 points, followed by 18 points from Quentin Grimes.

Maurice Calloo netted a team-high 13 points for Oregon State. Ethan Thompson was also in double figures with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Beavers were picked last in the Pacific 12 Conference at the beginning of the season and then got hot to win the conference tournament. They then won three games in the NCAA Tournament to match the lowest-seeded team to reach the Elite Eight.

Baylor and Houston are set to square off in one of the national semifinals Saturday. The other two berths in the Final Four are set to be punched Tuesday night.