Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars have booked their tickets to the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament. On Saturday, they secured a dominating 88-57 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies in the second round.
During an interview with CBS Sports after the game, Sampson was questioned about playing the Sweet 16 at the Toyota Center. It is approximately 2.1 miles from the Houston campus. The Cougars’ coach said their main priority is to play good basketball on the court and not focus on the location.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s gonna be enough talking about what we’ve been to Elite Eights and Final Fours, and it wasn’t on our campus,” Sampson said. “So, I don’t know who we are going to wind up playing. But whoever we’re playing, couldn’t care less about that. Matter of fact, they’ll use it against us. Our focus is on beyond playing Cougar basketball, not where we’re at.”
Kelvin Sampson has served as the coach of the Houston basketball program since 2014. This season is his seventh time qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Last season, they faced the Florida Gators in the national championship game, but lost 65-63.
In the second-round showdown against Texas A&M on Saturday, Emanuel Sharp was the top scorer for his team. He had 18 points and four rebounds. Chris Cenac Jr. also contributed 17 points with nine rebounds and one block.
Before this game, the Cougars defeated Idaho 78-47 in the first round.
College Basketball Analyst Makes Bold Prediction for Kelvin Sampson and His Team
On Friday, on the CBS Sports Network, analyst Gary Parrish made a prediction for Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars in this year’s NCAA Tournament. He said they would go on to emerge as the national champions this season.
“If you see my bracket, … it’s got Houston as the projected champion, which would be wildly unusual based on the way the regular season unfolded,” Parrish said. “In other words, Houston didn’t win a conference regular-season title, also didn’t win its conference tournament.
“Typically, our national championship at least does one of those things. But this Cougars program has got everything to win six games in this event. First, it starts with the Hall of Fame-level coach in Kelvin Sampson. They’ve got roster continuity from one season to the next. This is a team that I think, at the age of 70, can get Sampson his first national championship,” he added.
Will Parrish’s prediction for Houston come true?
Read More: What Happened to Nyk Lewis? VCU Star’s Injury Update After March Madness Trouble vs Illinois
Also Read: Joshua Jefferson Injury Update: Is Iowa State Star Playing vs Kentucky in March Madness?
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
