After leading for most of the game, the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars saw their national championship dreams slip away in the final seconds against the No. 1 seed Florida Gators. While the Cougars had the ball in the final seconds, they failed to get a shot up, falling 65-63.
Fans took to social media to torch Houston HC Kelvin Sampson’s last-second coaching, claiming that the players were panicked and suffering from “brutal coaching.” Let’s take a look at some of the reactions to the Cougars’ choked-away championship dreams.
Fans Torch Houston HC Kelvin Sampson For Last-Possession Blunder
The Cougars ultimately came up short, as Florida fought back from a 12-point deficit to win the game by 2 points, courtesy of a last-minute blunder by guard Emanuel Sharp.
During the final play of the game, one fan pointed out that the Cougars head coach had no visible reaction to the moment Sharp was set up and ultimately failed to win the game with the three-pointer.
“Watching Kelvin Sampson on this last play breaks my heart. He didn’t move, didn’t yell instructions to the players, nothing. He was just frozen stiff. He was watching his dream for 40 years implode and just stood and watched,” One fan wrote.
Sampson’s side had almost 18 seconds left on the clock, only two points down, leaving them plenty of time to drive the ball close and tie the game, a fact that many fans slated them for following the game.
“Dude, that was an awful play call. There was no movement in the lane. Houston was killing Florida on the offensive boards… he decided to have them wait until 7 seconds to start the play. Do you feel bad for him? Are you stupid?” one fan said, piling blame onto the Houston coach.
Other fans believed that it was actually a good play call by Houston at the time, simply stating that they got “unlucky” and that it happened.
“Not sure what going hysterical on the sidelines could have done. They ran a decent play to set up Sharp for a shot from the top of the key, but Sharp just made a bad play. Clayton distracted him by flying by, but Sharp had to put up a shot. He just misplayed it. It happens,” another fan tweeted, defending Sampson and the Cougars.
Kendrick Perkins Slams Houston for Questionable Final Play
Another who was loudly critical immediately after the final buzzer was former NBA player and current ESPN Analyst Kendrick Parkins, who was left baffled by Sampson’s decision-making in the final eighteen seconds.
What the hell was that??? Jesus Christ Houston
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 8, 2025
“What the hell was that??? Jesus Christ, Houston,” Perkins angrily tweeted just seconds after the game.
“I could see it on the coach’s face. You don’t get these opportunities too often. This is gonna eat at him for the rest of his life,” a fan noted of Sampson’s reaction under Perkins’s tweet.
Sampson Reacts to Championship Loss.
Speaking to CBS Sports after the game, Sampson gave an extremely emotional interview in which he talked about his love for the Houston Cougars and his players.
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“I love these kids. I love this staff. I love this program. This one hurts. This one stings.” the Cougars’ head coach reflected.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime team. I felt like we could have won the national championship group.” Sampson ended his interview by promising Houston fans that he and the team would be back.
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