Houston basketball is surely to be a no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Cougars won the Big 12 championship on Saturday night, in a victory over Arizona. The league’s commissioner Brett Yormark is a believer in the Houston club.
“They’re the best team in the country. My expectation is – and I said this to coach (Kelvin Sampson) at the beginning of the season – is to see them in San Antonio. That’s been reenforced this week,” Yormark said after the tournament championship, per Houston Chronicle.
San Antonio is the home of the Final Four this year. Houston finished the regular and conference tournament season with a 30-4 record. Houston defeated Arizona 72-64 for the Big 12 tournament title.
There are eight teams in the mix from the Big 12 to make March Madness, with Houston as the top dog.
Houston basketball dominated the Big 12 this season
The Cougars are in just their second season in the Big 12. Houston has dominated though, and looked every bit as good as when they were members of the AAC.
Houston is led by Kelvin Sampson, a veteran coach with a lot of wins under his belt. He led the Houston program to the Final Four in 2021. The school has six Final Four appearances, but no national championships.
Houston basketball fans hope Sampson can finally get the school that title. He’s won everywhere he has been, including Montana Tech, Washington State, Indiana, Oklahoma and now Houston. Sampson has close to 800 wins as a head coach.
This season, the Cougars posted their fourth consecutive campaign with 30 wins. Houston also raced through the Big 12, losing just one conference game in 20 contests. The Cougars have the best scoring defense in the conference, allowing just 58 points per game.
Sampson’s efforts have been recognized. He won the Big 12 Coach of the Year award this season, and was named the national coach of the year by Sporting News. Sampson has done everything in college basketball but win a championship. He’s taken two programs to the Final Four: Oklahoma and Houston.
Houston’s defense will have to travel in the NCAA tournament. The team’s offense is not as strong as the defense. The Cougars are just ninth in the league in scoring offense. Houston scores 74 points per game.
Sunday is Selection Sunday. Houston basketball fans are excited to see what the bracket will look like for their team. Time will tell if Yormark is right and the team can go to San Antonio.
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