Purdue Crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium 'Not as Bad' as Big 12 Venues, Kelvin Sampson Says

INDIANAPOLIS — The pro-Purdue crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis might have been an advantage for the Boilermakers, but Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said it wasn't nearly as much of a concern as playing in Big 12 venues throughout the season.

Although Houston was the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, the Cougars had to travel to Indianapolis, just 70 miles away from Purdue's campus. So, naturally, there was a large Boilermaker presence at Lucas Oil Stadium for Friday night's Sweet 16 game.

It may have been somewhat of a road game for the Cougars, but Sampson said it wasn't as difficult as playing on the road in the Big 12.

"It was an advantage, but not nearly as bad as playing at Kansas or playing at Arizona or playing at Iowa State or playing at West Virginia," Sampson said following Houston's 62-60 win over Purdue. "Those places are tougher. That's why I didn't make a big deal out of it."

The fourth-seeded Boilers put up a great fight, but Houston's Milos Uzan made a layup with 0.9 seconds left to lift the Cougars to a victory and advance to the Elite Eight round. Purdue's season ended with a 24-12 record, while Houston will play No. 2 seed Tennessee on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four at stake.

Sampson did give Purdue fans credit for showing up in big numbers at Lucas Oil Stadium, even if he believes the environment wasn't as intimidating as those Big 12 road venues.

I thought Purdue played hard. I thought their crowd was tremendous," he said. "So for us, just finding a way to win. It's what we've been pretty good at all year."

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