Kelvin Sampson won AAC Coach of the Year for the third time for good reason.
Houston’s 26-5 season came amid a lack of depth and injuries. The Cougars are the NO. 1 seed in the American Athletic Conference tournament, despite playing a rotation that rarely goes deeper than 8.
“It shows the heart of our team,” said sophomore point guard Jamal Shead, who is in his first season as starting floor general following the career of Dejon Jarreau. “We all want to win. We’re going to fight for each other and with each other.”
Houston is not overlooking opponents because the Coogs have been playing with a target on their back all season after their 2021 Final Four run.
“It’s been like that,” said Josh Carlton, a graduate transfer from UConn. “You know, to be honest, the [rest of the league] has more to lose than us because a lot of the teams need an auto-bid, and just knowing how they’re going to come out, we need to be the hardest competing team.”
As the NO. 1 seed, Houston won’t play until Friday. The Cougars will face the winner of Thursday’s Cincinnati vs. East Carolina game.