What Kelvin Sampson said about Baylor; Saturday's late start; Houston’s Big 12 rule

Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson held a media conference on Thursday prior the Cougars’ regular season finale Saturday at Baylor.

The Cougars can finish Big 12 Conference play at 19-1 by beating the Bears in a game that will take place late Saturday night. Houston (26-4, 18-1) comes in having won nine in a row and 22 of its last 23 ballgames, while Baylor (18-12, 10-9) got a huge 61-58 win Wednesday at TCU which boosted the Bears’ NCAA Tournament chances.

It’s the second time this season Houston has faced Baylor. On Feb. 10, the Cougars beat the Bears, 76-65, at the Fertitta Center.

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Sampson talked about playing the Bears again, the development of sophomore forward Joseph Tugler and the Cougars being able to dominate the conference like they have this season.

On facing Baylor for the second time this season

“I think the best pro prospect we’ve had in this league the last few years has been (freshman guard) V.J. Edgecombe. He’s gotten better and better and better.

“(Fifth-year forward) Norchad Omier inside there, since we played them last, they’re playing through him a lot more. He played really well against us the last time, and they’ve got a bunch of bucket getters. They’re playing their last home game. (Senior guard) Jayden Nunn and (fifth-year guard) Jeremy Roach come off the bench; that tells you how explosive they are, and they’re playing good right now.

“Winning the other night on the road at TCU gives them a big bump coming home. So, just like every game we play, we’re going to have to play well to win. They’re coached by a future Hall of Famer in Scott Drew, a national championship coach. They’ve got older veterans, they’ve got the best pro prospect in the league in V.J. Edgecombe. It will be a challenge.”

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On Houston’s dominance in the Big 12 this season

“I think it’s a big deal, going 18-1 in this league is unheard of. Guys don’t do that, but you’ve got to have some good fortune along the way, too.

“We probably shouldn’t have won the game in Kansas. We had every right to win the game at UCF because we made that shot (a last-second shot from J’Wan Roberts to win the game), but we could have (lost) if that shot doesn’t go in. But if you focus on those two games, you take it away.

“What about the way we won at West Virginia? What about the win in Arizona? And these kids have had some unbelievable road wins, just proud of them. Don’t want to make too big a deal out of it with a game left and we’ve got some tournaments coming up, but you guys do with it as you will.”

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On sophomore forward Joseph Tugler being a larger part of the team’s success

(In the Cougars’ past 10 ballgames, Tugler has averaged 5.1 points and 5.8 rebounds.)

“JoJo is the key in our pick and roll defense. He’s key in our offensive rebounding, even if he doesn’t get it because we keep track of tips. Over the years, I’ve convinced our kids that it takes two (hands) to get an offensive rebound, one to tip it and one to get it. And being relentless in that area is something that JoJo has become more consistent in and then blocking shots, he has impeccable timing around the rim.

“Sometimes, he surprises the referee on how quickly he can recover. He can go block a shot, and they just assume it’s a foul; then you go back and look at the tape, my gut (feeling) on the bench is that’s not a foul, so it’s a great block. But sometimes they assume, because he gets there so fast and he plays so much bigger than he is.

“But those are the things, those were the things we recognized with JoJo when he was 16 years old. We thought he was a kid that we can develop into the player he is right now.”

On whether Houston still has room to improve, despite winning nine straight games

“My standards are probably a little bit different. I think there’s areas we need to continue to get better in. I’m never going to say we’re playing our best ball because I prefer to think our best ball’s ahead of us, so we’ve just got to continue to work. That’s the bottom line; stay humble and just keep working.”

On the late tipoff scheduled for Saturday night

(The game at Baylor will start at 9 p.m. It is the same night as the Daylight Savings Time overnight changeover, something that Sampson brought up tongue in cheek.)

“They’re playing good right now, but we’re looking forward to going over there (Friday) and playing them at 10 o’clock at night on Saturday. You guys get that, 10 o’clock at night (because of) Daylight Savings Time. So, the game’s going to get over about after midnight, and then we’re going to have to snake that bus back to Houston, and hopefully, we get back before the sun comes up.”