Houston head men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson kept the bigger picture in mind Saturday night after his No. 1 seed Cougars survived a tight matchup against No. 8 seed Gonzaga, winning 81–76.
With 14.2 seconds left, the Bulldogs—who had chipped away at Houston's lead for the entire second half—were within three points. And redshirt senior Khalif Battle had a chance to tie the game.
Battle took a handoff pass from teammate Graham Ike and looked to be eyeing a game-tying three-point attempt before losing control of the basketball. When he regained his footing, Battle was surrounded by three Houston defenders, chucked up a prayer and was blocked. Game over.
Following the game, Battle—a redshirt senior likely playing in his last collegiate game—was emotional on the court. Sampson went over to him after the final buzzer and gave him a big hug.
Houston HC Kelvin Sampson consoles Khalif Battle after the Zags' tough loss ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6dFFoC7m32
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 23, 2025
Sampson had nothing but great things to say about Gonzaga after his team punched a ticket to the Sweet 16.
"Let's stop and congratulate Mark Few and Gonzaga," Sampson said on the broadcast. "For what they've accomplished, and they've been such a shining light for basketball programs and basketball coaches for a long, long time. There's nobody I respect more than Mark Few, and there's not a basketball program I respect more than Gonzaga.
"We beat a hell of a program tonight. That makes it even more significant."
Sampson has been complimentary of the Bulldogs all week long, even defending the university when a reporter mispronounced "Gonzaga" during a press conference on Friday.
While Gonzaga will head home, Houston will travel to the Sweet 16 where a matchup against No. 4 Purdue awaits.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kelvin Sampson Consoles Emotional Gonzaga Player After Houston's Tight Win.
