What Kelvin Sampson Thinks of Houston’s First Round Opponent Idaho
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The No. 2 seed in the South Region, the Houston Cougars, will be in action on Thursday night to begin their journey in March Madness. This is the eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Houston, who were the No. 1 seed for three consecutive seasons before this year.
Houston was a No. 2 seed in 2021 and a No. 4 seed in 2022. Upsets are fairly common in March Madness, even among the top seeds in the tournament. The key for some of the best teams in the country is to not look past any opponent, no matter if they are a 15th or 16th seed. One off night, and an incredible season could come to a screeching halt.
The Cougars and head coach Kelvin Sampson know that fairly well, and are only focused on their opponent in the first round, the No. 15 seed Idaho Vandals.
The Idaho Vandals are 21-14 entering this contest and won the Big Sky Tournament even after finishing seventh overall in the regular season. Here’s what Sampson thinks of them and their team prior to the matchup in this week's press conference.
Scouting Report on Idaho
Sampson first mentioned how they have excellent shooters.
“Everyone that steps on the floor has the ability to make threes. They spread you out, they drive on you. Their point guard Mitchell is tough. Johnson gets to the rim…They’ve got a good team,” Sampson said.
Sampson referred to sophomore Kolton Mitchell, who averages almost 14 points and four assists per game. Houston is obviously a superior team, but the important part is mindset as a high seed in the early rounds. Sampson made it clear how the Cougars view Idaho.
“The thing you have to remember at this time of year, and I’ve never lost sight of this in the 20 years I’ve been taking teams to the tournament, is you’re playing a champion,” Sampson said. “Either a conference champion or a team that had a great year. This isn’t an invitational tournament. You have to earn your way into this tournament. Whoever plays, whatever seed they are, you start with respect. We respect Idaho.”
Sampson said he congratulates Idaho on the season it had, and how winning four games in five days in the Big Sky Tournament is not easy.
“You can tell they are connected and well coached. Kids that play hard and know how to play,” Sampson said.
Houston’s head man went into detail on how the Cougars prepare for the first few rounds of the tournament. He assigns one coach the scouting report for Idaho while the second coach has to do a scouting report for the next opponent, which involves two teams because it could be either one that the Cougars face in the second round.
That will be either Saint Mary’s or Texas A&M. The consistency around Houston is an important part of how Sampson runs the show. It’s the same type of preparation regardless of the regular season or tournament time.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.