By Joshua Miranda Sports Capital Journalism Program SAN ANTONIO – The taste of victory is sweet, but defeat is bitter. The closer defeat is to victory, the more the bitterness intensifies. Tonight, the Houston Cougars left the Alamodome in San Antonio not just with a loss, but with a bitter memory, a bitter anger and …
Read MoreBy Alec Millender Sports Capital Journalism Program SAN ANTONIO — In a gritty, back-and-forth national championship game, the Florida Gators rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat the Houston Cougars 65-63 on Monday night, earning their third NCAA men’s national basketball championship and depriving the Cougars of the school’s first title. Florida (36-4) tied …
Read MoreBy Alec Millender Sports Capital Journalism Program SAN ANTONIO — Eighteen hours after the fifth-largest comeback in Final Four history, the emotions were still intense inside the Houston Cougars locker room on Sunday. A 36-3 season has brought them within one win of a national championship, and for head coach Kelvin Sampson, within reach of …
Read MoreBy Alec Millender Sports Capital Journalism Program SAN ANTONIO — Houston didn’t just survive. Houston believed. Trailing Duke by 14 points with 8:17 remaining, the Cougars roared back with an unforgettable 11-1 run in the last 74 seconds, stunning the Blue Devils 70–67 in a national semifinal in the Alamodome. The comeback was the fifth-largest …
Read MoreBy Alec Millender Sports Capital Journalism Program SAN ANTONIO – The Houston Cougars do not just rely on talent. Their success in a 35-3 season has been built upon culture, a relentless, all-encompassing standard that defines their program from top to bottom. At the heart of that culture is head coach Kelvin Sampson, a man …
Read MoreBy Alec Millender Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — In a dominant performance that showcased why they’ve been one of the nation’s toughest teams all year, the Houston Cougars advanced to the Final Four for the first time in four years and the seventh in school history with a 69-50 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. …
Read MoreBy Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — It is not an exaggeration to say that if Milos Uzan had not shot 6-for-9 from the 3-point line against Purdue in the Sweet 16, the University of Houston men’s basketball team would probably be home by now, ready to watch the Elite Eight …
Read MoreBy Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — After Camden Heide’s 3-pointer tied the game and sent the Purdue fans in Lucas Oil Stadium into a frenzy with 35 seconds to go, it looked like the Houston Cougars, the Midwest Regional’s top seed, were in danger of losing in the Sweet 16 …
Read MoreBy Jordan Morey | @JordanAMorey Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — When Kelvin Sampson first arrived on the University of Houston’s campus as the new men’s basketball coach in 2014, he received a large out-of-state package. Inside the box was a ladder and a letter from one of his best friends, University of Oklahoma Athletic …
Read MoreBy Jordan Morey | @JordanAMorey Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — The final basket of the opening half was an homage from Houston’s current men’s basketball team to the program’s all-time greats. With 42 seconds on the clock, the Cougars’ Brison Gresham ran behind Syracuse’s zone on the baseline, rose above the rim and rocked …
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