Kelvin Sampson Sends Intense Message on Officiating After Loss to Texas Tech
In this story:
The Houston Cougars suffered just their second loss this season, this time at the hands of the No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders. While the officiating in Lubbock may have been somewhat questionable, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson refused to complain about it.
Sampson, like always, reasoned that the officiating crew and how they call a game is out of his hands. Instead, the veteran head coach told the media after the loss that he is focused on what he can control. In this case, that's getting his players to perform better on the court.
“I’m not going to sit here and b**** about the referees when they kicked our ass the way they did on the offensive glass,” Sampson said. “I can’t control those guys, but we can get better at that. So, I’m not into that narrative. I don’t even care about the whistle right now. I care about getting our guys better at the things that we can get better at.”
It was certainly a lopsided foul count in Lubbock on Saturday. The Cougars were called for 25 fouls, while the Red Raiders were called for just 17. While that isn't the widest difference, a handful of early calls on Houston eventually allowed Texas Tech to secure the 90-86 victory.
Rebound Gap Fuels Houston's Loss
Sampson's sentiment towards questionable officiating is likely echoed by many who watched the game closely on Saturday. While it's easy to blame the loss on early foul trouble, the Cougars didn't do themselves any favors with their level of play either. It took a heroic 42-point effort from Kingston Flemings just to get Houston back into the game.
It was the rebounding that put the Cougars on their back foot on Saturday, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. While Houston kept up with the Red Raiders on defensive rebounds, it was outrebounded on offense 21-11. Giving your opponent, especially a team that shoots the three-pointer well, that many second chances isn't a recipe for success.
After the game, the Houston head coach highlighted that Texas Tech found success by playing physical basketball, especially in the rebound game.
"Texas Tech did an awesome job on the offensive boards," Sampson said. " They did to us what we've made a living doing to other people."
Both Chris Cenac Jr. and Joseph Tugler recorded seven rebounds against the Red Raiders, but they didn't get much help from their other key starters. In fact, it was freshman Isiah Harwell and senior Ramon Walker Jr. that came up big with four rebounds each off the bench.
When discussing the standout performances from Flemings and Toppin on Saturday, Sampson explained that the game didn't necessarily center around those two.
"The game didn't come down to either one of them," Sampson explained. "Kingston happened to be scoring, and Toppin happened to be scoring, but we've got enough guys that if Kingston wasn't shooting, somebody else can score. We've got a bunch og guys that can score."
"The game came down to one area, and that's where they were really good. When they shot and missed the ball, they scored 22 points off their misses. That's an area that, whatever you think of our program, that's a big reason why we've been so successful."
