I picked Houston to win it all two years ago. Alas, the Cougars fizzled in the Sweet 16, missing a chance to rock Houstonians’ world by reaching a Final Four held in their own city.
But don’t blame coach Kelvin Sampson for making that pick look bad. That one was all on me.
Besides, Sampson has taken enough abuse as it is, piled on top of the fact he has taken four schools to a total of 20 NCAA Tournaments without ever seizing the national championship.
Not long after leading Oklahoma to the Final Four in 2002, Sampson was cited by the NCAA for making “impermissible phone calls” to recruits and barred from off-campus recruiting. So he went to Indiana and did the same damn thing, was caught and lost his job (infuriating Illinois fans along the way for stealing away mega-recruit Eric Gordon). Not entirely unfairly, it earned Sampson a reputation as something of a bandit.
But fast-forward to today and — please — just try to tell me how terrible a bunch of phone calls sounds. In this college basketball recruiting climate? With players making millions and staying at schools so briefly, they might as well be resort hotels? Making extra phone calls sounds about as awful as giving them milk and cookies.
Here’s the point: I’m picking Houston again. It’s time for Sampson, 69, to let someone else be the best coach never to have won the tournament. The Cougars can even do it in Texas, this time in San Antonio.
I have them beating Michigan State, an underrated, extremely dangerous team, in my view, that — like the Cougars — is better on the perimeter than it is inside, yet has the kind of toughness and togetherness from top to bottom that all coaches seek. Sampson and Tom Izzo, 70, each could point to the other and say, “I get him. He’s just like me.”
Early on, Houston lost to Auburn despite leading late and fell to both Alabama and San Diego State in overtime. Sampson had a 4-3 team on his hands.
“We’re a good team,” he said, “but that might be all we are right now, just a good team. We’re not really good or very good.”
But look what guards LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, heart-and-soul forward J’Wan Roberts and all the Cougars — the No. 1-ranked defensive team in the land — have done since then. They’ve won 26 of 27 games, the only loss coming to an outstanding Texas Tech team by one point in OT. They went 19-1 in the Big 12 and, even with Roberts resting an injured ankle, steamrolled through the league tournament.
In two seasons since joining the Big 12, they’re 38-5 against league foes. Read that again. It’s amazing.
A breakthrough is coming.
SOUTH
First-round winners: Auburn (over Alabama State), Louisville, UC San Diego, Texas A&M, UNC (beats SDSU then Ole Miss), Iowa State, New Mexico, Michigan State.
Second round: Auburn, UC San Diego, UNC, Michigan State.
Sweet 16: Auburn, Michigan State.
Elite Eight: Michigan State.
WEST
First-round winners: Florida, UConn, Memphis, Maryland, Drake, Texas Tech, Arkansas, St. John’s.
Second round: Florida, Maryland, Texas Tech, St. John’s.
Sweet 16: Florida, St. John’s.
Elite Eight: Florida.
EAST
First-round winners: Duke (over Mount St. Mary’s), Mississippi State, Oregon, Arizona, BYU, Wisconsin, Saint Mary’s, Alabama.
Second round: Duke, Oregon, BYU, Alabama.
Sweet 16: Duke, Alabama.
Elite Eight: Alabama.
MIDWEST
First-round winners: Houston, Gonzaga, Clemson, Purdue, Illinois, Kentucky, Utah State, Tennessee.
Second round: Houston, Purdue, Illinois, Tennessee.
Sweet 16: Houston, Tennessee.
Elite Eight: Houston.
FINAL FOUR
Michigan State over Florida, Houston over Alabama.