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Houston basketball came so close to winning a first-ever national title after seven Final Four tries. Now head coach Kelvin Sampson wants to beef the schedule up.
His Cougars will walk into next season as the hunted in the Big 12 Conference. But Sampson is open to additional competition for the national title game runner-up. He shared what he's envisioning during his appearance on The Andy Katz podcast.
“We're going to play six high level games…and the possibility of a seventh,” Sampson explained. “The only thing I'm having a hard time doing is finding a marquee game at home. A lot of teams want to play us. But want to do it on a neutral court.”
Sampson added he's had talks with other powerhouses.
“We've got agreements. But we don't have contracts,” Sampson revealed.
His hope is to bring a marquee game at the Fertitta Center. And not just limited to a Big 12 Conference matchup.
Are Houston, Kelvin Sampson positioned for another title game run?
Houston delivered a season of the ages under Sampson. The Cougars ended a near four decade drought of playing for the national title. But fell short to the Florida Gators. That Houston loss came down to a widely discussed final possession.
Will UH take the next step? Or are there too many losses Sampson is dealing with?
He came close to losing one talent. Except Milos Uzan opted to ditch the 2025 NBA Draft. He's returning for his senior season at UH.
Although Uzan's return prompted a huge college basketball transfer portal change. Creighton scorer Pop Isaacs chose Houston once Uzan tested the draft waters. He flipped to Texas A&M once Uzan pivoted back.
Terrance Arceneaux was another UH loss. North Carolina State and new head coach Will Wade swooped him up via transfer.
Five-star Chris Cenac leads the Houston recruiting class, though. He chose them over LSU back in November. Isiah Harwell is another five-star prospect Sampson will coach — who committed in September. Overall, UH has enough young talent and experience from last season to become a force once again — and Final Four threat.
