Houston coach Kelvin Sampson had a lot to say after his Cougars came from behind to stun Duke in Saturday night’s NCAA Tournament semifinal. Duke was in control for nearly the entire game, leading 59-45 with 8:17 remaining and 67-61 with just 33 seconds left. However, clutch shooting and defense allowed Houston to dominate the final minute, clinching a 70-67 victory.
After the game, surrounded by his team, Sampson spoke to CBS’ Tracy Wolfson, expressing, “No one ever loses at anything as long as you don’t quit. When you quit, I don’t care, you’ve lost. Our thing in our time-outs – we’ve been here before. It’s not like we were down 20. It’s not like we were playing great. We felt like if we could get it close enough to put some game pressure on them, then something good could happen. But all the credit goes to God and all the credit goes to these unbelievable young men I get to coach. I’m so blessed I get to coach these kids.”
Sampson continued, “I hear what people say. ‘Duke this. Duke that.’ Duke’s great. Jon Scheyer is awesome. But don’t sleep on Houston. We weren’t 34-4 playing in the Toy Poodle League. We were 19-1 in the Big 12. Playing in the Big 12 helped us. Shoutout to my Big 12 brethren. Brett Yormark and all the great coaches in the Big 12.”
“I hear what people say. ‘Duke this. Duke that.’ Duke’s great. Jon Scheyer is awesome. But don’t sleep on Houston. Don’t sleep on Houston. We weren’t 34-4 playing in the Toy Poodle League.”
Kelvin Sampson after Houston’s come-from-behind win over Duke. pic.twitter.com/vTfBA372qg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 6, 2025
As seen throughout the football season, conferences played a significant role in discussions leading up to the NCAA Tournament. One of the more controversial tournament bids went to Duke’s archrival in the ACC, North Carolina. That bid came at the expense of Houston’s Big 12 rival, West Virginia. This was undoubtedly a prime moment for Sampson to commend his team and conference.
