Houston's Kelvin Sampson gives nod to Lute Olson after finally beating Arizona
02/16/2025 09:52 AM
Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his squad got a big win Saturday over the Arizona Wildcats. Following the victory, Sampson gave tribute to Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd. He also thought about Arizona’s legendary coach Lute Olson.
"But I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I didn't have a thought of the old silver fox down there," he said, per The Athletic.
Sampson played Arizona several times when he was the coach at Washington State. Arizona basketball was coached by Olson at the time. Sampson couldn’t come up with a victory in Tucson, before Saturday.
"They used to have a tradition," Sampson added, talking about Arizona fans. "They wouldn't sit down, and they would clap until the other team scored. And I think our goal was to wear them out. They might have clapped until almost the 12-minute timeout one night."
Well, Sampson’s team is scoring now. Houston is first in the Big 12 conference, and looking to go to the Big 12 tournament as the no. 1 seed.
Houston basketball has a chance to go to the Final Four
The Cougars are rolling in the Big 12 conference once again. Houston is now 21-4 overall, and 13-1 in the conference this year. Houston has only been a member of the league for a few years.
Houston basketball’s victory is huge for the fate of the conference. The Cougars were able to put some distance between them and Arizona, who was second in the league heading into Saturday’s game. Houston defeated Arizona, 62-58.
Houston is looking to head back to the Final Four under Sampson, for the second time. Sampson led the team to the semi-final in 2021, then got to the Elite Eight in 2022. Houston has also made the Sweet 16 four years in a row, as a member of the AAC and the Big 12.
Sampson is in his 11th season at the school. He’s also coached Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana and Montana Tech. He’s taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament. Sampson clearly has one of the best minds in the college game today.
Olson was another outstanding basketball coach. He won a national championship at Arizona, which is something Sampson hasn’t done. The famous Arizona coach also made five Final Fours in his tenure as a coach at the school, as well as Iowa. He retired in 2008, and passed away in 2020.
Houston next plays Arizona State on Tuesday. Houston has six conference games left, before the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.
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