What Happened the Last Time Kelvin Sampson and John Calipari Faced Each Other?
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Saturday, Nov. 20, marks the last and an all-too-important non-conference opportunity for the No. 8 Houston Cougars, as they'll travel to Newark, N.J. for a top 15 showdown against the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks.
While the matchup brings back pageantry dating back to the Phi Slama Jama era of Houston men's basketball in its tenure in the Southwest Conference, in which they overtook Arkansas for the league in two of the three straight seasons the Cougars clinched a trip to the Final Four from 1982 to 1984, a more impactful storyline remains head-to-head at the current helm.
This meeting will mark the first time coaches John Calipari and Kelvin Sampson will have met head to head since their NCAA tournament Sweet 16 matchup on March 29, 2019, between No. 3 seed Houston and No. 2 seed Kentucky in the Midwest region.
For context, Calipari was in his 10th season as head coach of the Wildcats, and nearly four years fresh off his Basketball Hall of Fame induction as one of the few instances of a currently active head coach to hold the individual honor.
Through 24 combined seasons at Memphis and Kentucky, Calipari has coached countless amounts of NBA draft prospects in what's typically been billed as an effort to get players to the league quick. His most rewarding experience came with winning a national championship in 2012 with the help of freshman forward and eventual first overall pick Anthony Davis.
With Sampson, the 2018-19 campaign was only his fifth at Houston and just the Cougars' second NCAA tournament appearance in his tenure. However, this trip to the Sweet 16 marked the start of an impressive ongoing streak that's helped to signify the extreme program makeover under his watch, especially with three first round and two second round NBA draft picks under Sampson's belt.
What happened in the last matchup?
As a No. 3 seed in the Midwest region with wins over Georgia State and Ohio State in the first weekend, and the American Athletic Conference champions of 2018-19, Houston came into Kansas City, Mo., for its first true tournament test from the draw in facing No. 2 seed Kentucky.
Despite shooting at a slightly better clip from three-point range and a 20-point performance from then-junior guard Armoni Brooks, Kentucky's efforts held firm in shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor with 19 points behind freshman guard and eventual 13th overall draft pick Tyler Herro.
With 25 seconds remaining, Herro launched a clutch left-wing triple that forced the Cougars to start fouling away, though the Wildcats' efforts ultimately held firm to advance to the Midwest regional final.
Despite the heartbreaking fashion for Houston, this wasn't something for Sampson to dwell on, knowing his efforts to elevate success in the big dance.
Seven seasons, two Final Four trips, and a national championship game appearance later, the Cougars will look to help him flip the script in the next head-to-head matchup for him against Calipari, though the two have had a longstanding respect for each other's careers.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.