Kelvin Sampson Described What Went Wrong for Houston in Sweet 16 vs Illinois
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It wasn't supposed to end like this for Houston Cougars basketball. The unthinkable happened. Houston put up the worst shooting performance of the season at the worst possible time against the opponent where that just could not happen. UH shot 34% overall (22/68) and were 28% from three (9/32).
The result was a shocking loss in the Sweet 16 to Illinois in Houston at Toyota Center that ended the Cougars' campaign to get back to the national championship. There has been plenty of debate on what went wrong for Houston in the 65-55 defeat. The blame has rightfully been placed on the offense for a disastrous shooting performance and a lack of attacking the basket.
The shot selection for Houston has been a point of discussion. The reality was that Houston was too inconsistent with its offense throughout the season, and that was the reason the Cougars went down early in the Sweet 16. Houston has made seven straight trips to this point, and the expectations for this program are high to go much farther.
It was a tough press conference for Houston after the loss, and coach Kelvin Sampson explained to the Houston Cougars on SI more details on what he felt happened.
Not Houston's Night
"They were hard to score on at the rim. Most of our looks were 15-17 feet," Sampson said. "Those are shots we're normally pretty good at, especially Cenac. Cenac's not a good 3-point shooter, but he's a really good medium-range shooter, which was most of the shots he had tonight. He normally makes those. Tonight just wasn't his night."
Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. scored only six points and was 3/12 (25%) from the field. Those are the shots opponents are willing to let Houston take. When he knocks them down, Houston is very tough to beat. It just didn't go in, much like UH's night as a whole.
"When you're shooting medium-range jumpshots, or you're shooting threes, you're not going to get fouled. I thought both teams played good defense for a long time," Sampson said.
Illinois' bigs did a great job limiting Houston's attacks in the paint as well as staying in front of freshman point guard Kingston Flemings. It forced UH to shoot outside, but that was something Houston was capable of from 3-point range and the midrange. The shots did not fall.
Sampson made an interesting analogy to Houston's shooting struggles.
"Making shots is like gasoline in a lawnmower. It needs gas. If you don't keep gas in it's not gonna run. As much as you tell your kids, don't allow your missed shots to affect your effort on defense, these kids are human beings, man," Sampson said. "They're not necessarily upset, but they're disappointed their shot is not going in, and somehow that thought process will affect your focus. Maybe that had something to do with it."
Sampson made sure to say he was proud of his players' effort. "We just didn't play good enough. Holding that team to 65 was probably good enough, but you gotta score 66."
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.