Houston Cougars On SI

What Kelvin Sampson said after Houston’s 13th straight win, prevailing at W. Virginia

Big 12-leading Cougars complete road sweep with double-digit victory against Mountaineers 
Buck Ringgold|
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Houston Cougars

Houston continued its grip on first place in the Big 12 Conference while extending a pair of streaks on Wednesday.

The Cougars led from start to finish in a 63-49 win at West Virginia, completing a pivotal two-game road test. Of course, their first game on that trip was the incredible double-overtime win at Kansas.

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With Wednesday’s win, Houston (17-3, 9-0) extended its current win streak to 13 straight games. The Cougars also won their 18th consecutive Big 12 contest, the second-longest streak in conference history.

Here are some thoughts Houston coach Kelvin Sampson had immediately after the Cougars’ latest win.

On how West Virginia got back into the ballgame after trailing by 20 points at halftime

(The Mountaineers got within five with seven minutes left before running out of gas. Houston held West Virginia to five points the rest of the way.)

“It was how we were turning the ball over. They were just taking it from us, they were just clean steals. (Mylik) Wilson and (Milos) Uzan, I think, were number one in the nation in fewest turnovers per game, like 8.6 or something like that, but we had 14 (turnovers). But you know what, West Virginia deserves a lot of credit for that.

“The reason they were taking it from us was because they were taking it from us. … We kept the crowd out of it, and there was no reason for them to believe the first 20 minutes because we played so well. But, hey, in (West Virginia coach) Darian (DeVries’) first year, they beat Gonzaga, they’ve beaten Kansas, they’ve beaten Arizona and they’ve beaten Iowa State. There’s a reason why.”

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On surviving West Virginia’s second-half surge

“Coming in here (Wednesday), if you had told me we were going to win by one, I wouldn’t have played the game. Win by one point and go home. You’ve got that two-game road trip at Kansas and at West Virginia, this ain’t no beauty contest, they don’t put pictures beside the score. It’s a win, and I’m proud of our kids for coming back.

“I think they cut it to five and had a chance to cut it to three and had somebody at the free throw line and missed (the front end of a one-and-one). And then from there, we got in to fight. They were not in the fight the first half, and we weren’t in the fight the first seven or eight minutes of the second half. 

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On what it took for Houston to close out the win

(The Cougars prevailed despite not having great scoring nights from two of their main players. J’Wan Roberts finished with 5 points while Emanuel Sharp had 3 as he has been dealing with recurring ankle issues and left the game briefly after aggravating it.)

“We needed somebody to step up and make a play. They did a great job on (J’Wan Roberts), but I said it’s OK; we don’t need him to score. He’s scored well the last four or five games, but he’s not our best scorer; he has been because of the way they’ve been guarding him. But Darian did a great job with his game plan and took (Roberts’) left hand away. But that opened it up for other guys. (Joseph) Tugler played well (Wednesday), 12 points. LJ (Cryer) had 17, Milos (Uzan) had 10, and (Terrance) Arceneaux (who had 8).

“Emanuel Sharp, I probably shouldn’t have played him (Wednesday). He didn’t play much against Kansas. He wanted to try (Wednesday), but I thought Arceneaux came in and played tough. But it just goes to show you in this league how tough it is to win on the road.

“I’m proud of the fact that we came in here and held this team to 49 points and won by 14. It didn’t feel that way, but I’m pretty sure Darian is proud of his kids’ effort coming out of halftime. But they’re really athletic and number 10 (Sencire Harris) and (Aman) Hansberry, they started hurting us on that 1-5 pick-and-roll but then during one of the time outs, we switched it and then they started trying to go inside and then it was kind of like a chess match there and we had the last move and it helped us.”

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On his first trip to play at West Virginia and paying homage to legendary Mountaineer player Jerry West

(It was also Houston’s first time to play at Morgantown. West, who later became a great player and executive with the Los Angeles Lakers and whose action silhouette comprises the NBA logo, passed away last June.)

“The first time I’ve ever been here, although this should count (for) something. I’m a huge fan of Jerry West, because I’m old enough to have seen him and Wilt Chamberlain play in 1971 against the (New York) Knicks with Willis Reed and that bunch, but Jerry West and (former Boston Celtic great) Sam Jones, watching those on Sunday afternoon with my father. My daughter (Lauren) is here and I had her take a picture of me and Jerry West, that statue (located in front of the WVU Coliseum).”

On Houston’s ability to have several players provide offense

(While the Cougars are known for their defense, having some different scoring options each game has been a vital reason they are having the success they have had so far this season.)

“With this team, in the transfer portal and the NIL era, we had eight out of our top 10 guys come back and we had four starters back and that does make a difference. That’s part of our secret sauce is our program.

“And then having great kids. Character matters. Having kids you don’t mind losing with. Some teams, whether it’s bad attitudes or wrong attitudes or what, you’re always having to coach that. I never have to worry about effort or attitude, I’m blessed that way. I’ve got a great staff and we have great kids and that has buoyed us here for a long time.”

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Buck Ringgold
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