Houston is one of the top teams in the Big 12 this season. Over the weekend, Houston fell to Texas Tech and needed to rebound against TCU. They did just that, but it was not a comfortable victory for the Cougars. Regardless, Kelvin Sampson was proud of how his team played against the Horned Frogs.
“Chris was a non-factor in the last game. But I think what you saw tonight (14 rebounds) is a young man with a lot of pride. We've won a lot of games around here over the years. You lose one, it's amazing the arrows that you receive. You're not going to win them all, right? I think the last two years out record is…. 53-7. I mean we lose games, but I was proud of the way our guys responded in a tough environment,” Sampson said to the media after the game, per Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine.
The Chris that Sampson spoke of is Chris Cenac Jr. Cenac played 34 minutes in the game against TCU, scoring eight points, but adding 14 rebounds, an assist, a block, and three steals. He struggled against Texas Tech. Cenac scored just two points with seven rebounds, while not adding an assist, block, or steal in the game.
Meanwhile, Sampson has become a consistent winner at Houston. The Cougars have gone to the NCAA tournament in each of the last seven tournaments. Prior to Samson, the team had made the tournament four times in the previous 30 seasons. Samson has also led Houston to six Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and a national runner-up. Moreover, in the season before Sampson arrived at Houston, the team lost 16 times. Houston has lost 16 times since the start of the 2022-23 season.
Winning takes the ability to rebound from a loss, and Houston did just that against TCU, making the coach proud. Houston will be a high seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament and looks to get over the hump, winning their first title ever.
