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AAC Basketball: Why Houston is overlooked as contender for 2019-20

By Sam Jarrett

TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 24: Corey Davis Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars and teammates walk back to the bench during the first half of the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Ohio State Buckeyes at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 24: Corey Davis Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars and teammates walk back to the bench during the first half of the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Ohio State Buckeyes at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS – MARCH 16: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Oklahoma Sooners cuts down the net after the winning against the Missouri Tigers during the finals of the Big 12 Championships at the American Airlines Center March 16, 2003 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
DALLAS – MARCH 16: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Oklahoma Sooners cuts down the net after the winning against the Missouri Tigers during the finals of the Big 12 Championships at the American Airlines Center March 16, 2003 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Houston Basketball was at the top of the AAC last season. Do they have enough to stay up there for this campaign?

Five years ago, Houston Basketball Head Coach James Dickey resigned from his position following a 64-62 record over four seasons. He had been the program’s fifth head coach since 1993, and the fourth who failed to lead them to an NCAA tournament or top-25 ranking at any point in his career. Given this 20-year span of mediocrity, which came on the heels of national prominence behind players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, the Cougars needed a home-run hire. Luckily for them, they got just that in Kelvin Sampson.

The last time Sampson had been on the college basketball scene was 2008 when he was forced into resignation following significant NCAA recruiting violations. He wasn’t allowed to coach for the following five seasons, and it was Houston who ended up with the coach once his punishment had expired. While everybody knew that Sampson could coach – he was most famous for his time with the Oklahoma Sooners, where he went to 11 NCAA tournaments in 12 seasons – there were still questions surrounding the ethics of his practice and whether or not he still had it after five years.

It didn’t take long for Sampson to answer those questions. He went 12-6 in the conference in both his second and third seasons, and he took the next step in his fourth, going 27-8 and making the tournament as a six seed before getting knocked out in heartbreaking fashion by Michigan in the round of 32. He experienced even more success this past season, amassing a 33-4 record, winning the AAC regular-season title, and earning a three seed in the tournament while making it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Sampson has had increasing success every year that he’s been at Houston, and over the past two seasons, he’s led one of the 15 best programs in college basketball. Yet, it seems as though everybody is projecting Houston to take a significant step back this coming year. The rationale is understandable; the Cougars lost four starters, including three of their top four leading scorers, while the rest of the conference – namely the Memphis Tigers, with the number one recruiting class in the country – got a lot stronger. However, I believe that the Cougars will remain a strong contender in the conference this year, and likely earn an NCAA tournament bid for the third straight year.