Kelvin Sampson 'Excited' For Current Gauntlet Houston Basketball Is In
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The Houston Cougars are considered one of the best teams in the country for men's basketball, and have the postseason success to back up their pedigree as one of the best programs in the country.
That will be tested, though, as the Cougars are currently in their most brutal stretch of the season, facing top-ranked teams such as the Iowa State Cyclones, Arizona Wildcats, and the Kansas Jayhawks, including the Cyclones and the Jayhawks as matchups on the road.
For head coach Kelvin Sampson, though, he welcomes the opportunity, telling Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports he's excited to watch his teams compete in the environments.
Practice Runs for March
The Big 12 is well known for the gauntlet teams must run through during conference play, which promotes itself as the premier college basketball program in the country. Unfortunately for the Cougars, they have three games in a row on their schedule, featuring all three teams in the top 15 of KenPom.
"Well, way back in 1981, or maybe it was 83, we had to play at College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho, in their homecoming," Sampson recalled a story from his time at Montana State. "The next night we played Northwest Nazarene in Napa, Idaho, in their homecoming."
"And then we played on Sunday afternoon, Eastern Oregon State in LaGrange, Oregon.They moved their homecoming to Sunday so they could play us. So if teams are scheduling you for their homecoming, they think they've got a pretty good chance to win. But if you go back and check the records of those games, the Orediggers found a way to win all three."
For the Cougars, the test is more than just trying to win all three games; it will serve as an early test of their NCAA Tournament aspirations. Should they go as far as they hope to come in March, they will once again most likely be tasked with facing a gauntlet if they wish to be the last team remaining in the annual tournament.
Is Kelvin Sampson currently in the toughest three-game stretch --- at Iowa State, Arizona, and At Kansas --- of his career?https://t.co/c9JLel2QnF (Apple)https://t.co/EsZxIkca32 (Spotify)https://t.co/Iop7ZrF3O9 (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/3jsCobMgD4
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 20, 2026
"So we're not going to replicate that because we lost a tough one to Iowa State. I've been watching film of Arizona all morning, and they're good enough to make you physically ill," Sampson said of his team being tested. "We all know what it's like to go to Fog Allen, the premier basketball program, one of the great programs in history.
"But you know what these are, though, Jon? I don't look at them as teeth grinding. What a great opportunity. I'm excited. I was excited to go play in Hilton. I wanted to see how they'd never been there before. And now we're coming home to play a team that could win it all. Iowa State could win it all. Certainly, Arizona can, and Kansas can. All three of those teams can win it."
Already having lost to the Cyclones, 70-67, they will look to finish the gauntlet 2-1, hoping to take care of business against the Wildcats and the Jayhawks.
