The Houston Cougars have become a fixture atop college basketball’s analytics and rankings, yet doubts persist about their ability to finish the job.
Despite a dominant four-year run under Kelvin Sampson and a preseason No. 1 ranking, fans and pundits remain skeptical that Houston can finally capture an elusive NCAA championship in 2025-26.
Houston’s Ongoing Struggle to Win a Championship
When CBKReport tweeted, “Houston has finished No. 2 overall on KenPom in each of the last four seasons. The Cougars currently sit at No. 1 in my preseason rankings. Is 2025-26 the year Kelvin Sampson and UH finally break through and win it all?” It captured the mood of a fanbase both proud and restless.
Crazy but true: Houston has finished No. 2 overall on KenPom in each of the last four seasons.
The Cougars currently sit at No. 1 in my preseason rankings.
Is 2025-26 the year Kelvin Sampson and UH finally break through and win it all? pic.twitter.com/YxzOcHrKki
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) June 7, 2025
Houston has achieved an impressive record of 125 wins over the past four seasons, marking four consecutive campaigns with at least 30 wins each, and a 35-5 mark last year, including a 19-1 Big 12 run—the best in the conference.
Sampson, now with 799 career wins, has led Houston to multiple Final Fours and their first national title game appearance since the 1980s. Their defense, ranked No. 1 by KenPom, has become their calling card, and their incoming recruiting class is among the nation’s best.
Yet, the championship remains out of reach. Last season’s title game heartbreak—a 65-63 loss to Florida, sealed by a last-second turnover—reinforced the narrative that Houston can’t quite close.
Even as experts and analytics project another deep run, skepticism lingers.
Fans Share Their Mix of Hope, Doubt and Respect
One fan bluntly stated, “They choke every single year.” This sentiment echoes Houston’s recent history: despite elite defensive metrics and top seeds, the Cougars have repeatedly fallen short in the tournament’s biggest moments, including a Final Four loss in 2021 and the 2025 title game defeat. The pattern of coming close but not finishing has left many fans wary of believing until they see a trophy.
They choke every single year
— Alex – UConn 2026 National Champs (@aburks41) June 8, 2025
Another user commented, “No I think they are really bad.” While this is an outlier opinion given Houston’s statistical dominance—No. 1 in KenPom, four straight 30-win seasons—the lack of a championship leaves room for doubters to question whether the Cougars’ style translates when it matters most.
A pointed question: “How many championships?” The answer is zero. Despite Sampson’s 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and Houston’s resurgence, the ultimate prize remains elusive—a fact that overshadows their regular-season and conference success.
Not all feedback is negative. “If I had to pick someone else besides KU to win it all, it would be Sampson,” offered another fan. This highlights the respect Sampson commands, both for his program-building and for consistently putting Houston in contention. With a loaded roster and elite recruits, belief persists that Sampson’s breakthrough could come soon.
Finally, a user observed, “Has to coach them to stop folding under pressure. Just hitting free would have won two championships.” The inability to get the job done in the final minutes has often been a problem for Houston, last of all, in the 2025 final game in which a turnover and missed chances were the end-result.
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Breaking into the time of the last match, the very frequent failures of the free throws and the anxiety of the players have been the cause of their repeated defeats, thus justifying the rumor that the lack of the winning spirit in people, not talent, is the only thing lacking.
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