Houston Looks to Move Forward After Sampson Calls Kansas Loss a Life Lesson
In this story:
On Monday night, the No. 5 Houston Cougars traveled to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks. After suffering losses to both No. 4 Iowa State and No. 2 Arizona, the Cougars looked to right the ship before entering their final three conference matchups.
The pressure was on for both the Houston and Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cougars were on the brink of losing three games in a row for the first time since 2017, while the Jayhawks looked to avoid losing two straight home games for the first time since 1989. With head coach Bill Self undefeated on Big Monday, the odds were clearly stacked against Sampson's Cougars.
Despite a solid start from Houston, especially on the defensive side of the court, the game got away from the Cougars towards the half. The Jayhawks closed the first half on an 11-0 run that left the Houston bench stunned. Kansas added insult to injury by building a 10-point lead with just under 14 minutes to play.
The momentum that the Jayhawks gained to close the first half would be more than enough for them to control the rest of the night and finish off a 69-56 victory. After the game, Sampson had some thoughts on both the Kansas loss and Houston's recent adversity.
Sampson’s Message After a Humbling Stretch
It's no secret that the Houston Cougars have been battle tested over the last eight days. In fact, the three-game stretch could be considered one of the toughest that college basketball has ever seen. Sampson is aware of this, but he and his staff likely didn't expect to drop all three games.
Even so, the head coach remained positive even with the program's recent struggles. He even framed the loss as a moment of growth for the Cougars. Sampson also added that this is uncharted territory for Houston since they've been dominant for so long.
“This is all behind us now," Sampson said. "We lick our wounds. We haven’t been through anything like this because we’ve been the winningest program in America for how many years. This is a great life lesson for everybody. When we play these good teams you’ve got to be on top of your game and we weren’t.”
Sampson hits the nail right on the head with his emphasis on Houston needing to be at their best to beat Kansas on the road. On a night where the offense needed to show up, the Cougars simply didn't. They certainly showed flashed of being elite at the beginning of the game, but as Sampson mentioned, Houston just "ran out of gas."
The Silver Lining for the Cougars
Believe it or not, it isn't the end of the world for Houston. While they may come short of another Big 12 regular season championship, Sampson believes that everything the Cougars want to achieve this season is still possible. If the offense can find some kind of rhythm in their final three regular season games, they can certainly make a run in the Big 12 Tournament.
They could also find themselves staring down rematches against teams the Cougars have already fallen to this season. That kind of challenge could prove invaluable as the NCAA Tournament draws closer.
While things may look grim, Hosuton still has time to figure things out. Personally, I believe it would be a mistake to write off the Cougars before March, and all the madness that comes with it, even begins.
