Against all odds, the Houston Cougars booked their ticket to the NCAA championship game Saturday night.
Houston clawed out of a 14-point deficit in the second half to complete a legendary comeback against Duke, beating the Blue Devils 70-67 in the national semifinal game at the Alamodome.
The Cougars took advantage of Duke's sloppy mistakes and were clutch down the stretch going on an 11-1 run in the final minute and change. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson sent a simple, bold message to his national title opponent, Florida, after his team's stunner: "Don't sleep on Houston."
Sampson deserves every bit of the credit after leading his resilient Cougars squad to an unlikely late-game victory, as Duke at one point had a whopping 98.5% chance of winning the contest. On top of that, NCAA tournament teams are 335-1 in games in which they beat their opponent in field goal percentage, free throw attempts, assists, turnovers and steals, according to OptaSTATS. Duke is the lone team with the loss.
Following Houston's Final Four win, Sampson was all smiles and even did an adorable little jig on his way to the locker room to emphatically place Houston in the title game of the tournament bracket:
Kelvin Sampson dances his way into the @UHCougarMBK locker room celebration.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) April 6, 2025
pic.twitter.com/vJWXKvdEB9
Such a great moment for Sampson and the Cougars.
Houston will take on fellow No. 1 seed Florida in the national championship game Monday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson Dancing In Locker Room After Final Four Win Was Too Good.
