What Kelvin Sampson said after Houston's win over TCU
Houston got its seventh straight win and its 31st consecutive victory at the Fertitta Center on Monday.
Although early on in the second half, it wasn’t easy as an underdog TCU team hung tough against the nationally ranked Cougars. But after leading by just three points, Houston embarked on a decisive 19-4 run to pull away from the pesky Horned Frogs for a 65-46 win in Big 12 Conference play.
Houston downs TCU: Score, live updates of Big 12 Conference college basketball game
Houston (11-3, 3-0) had three players in double figures, led by 14 points from Emanuel Sharp. J’Wan Roberts added 12 points and LJ Cryer finished with 10.
Here are some thoughts from Houston coach Kelvin Sampson following the Cougars’ seventh straight win Monday night:
On Monday’s win in general
(The Cougars were coming off a decisive 86-55 win against BYU on Saturday)
“It’s a good win. It’s the hardest thing in the world to play as well as we play. After 36 years of being a head coach, I knew (Monday) will be the way it was.
“You have to really have no clue about basketball to think Saturday is going to be normal. We might never play like that again. If we don’t, I’m glad we did it once. We can’t do that every game. It’s a grind.”
On the competitiveness of the Big 12
“(Monday) shows you what the Big 12 is. That team (TCU) had a chance to win against Arizona. They beat Xavier at home. They beat Kansas State. … Good win for us. We’ll get some rest (Tuesday) and come back on Wednesday and get ready for Kansas State on Saturday.”
Defense had a day 😤#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/tpIdIg15kW
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) January 7, 2025
On Houston forcing 19 TCU turnovers
(In last Saturday’s win against Kansas State, the Horned Frogs turned the ball over just six times. Monday, the Frogs made 19 turnovers, with Houston converting 16 points off of those miscues.)
“Our defense is a big part of our offense. We turned two blocks into offense (Monday). We’re getting turnovers now that we didn’t get in November. We were a step late, or a stop short, or we were too early.
“Our defense is January defense. That's why for me, if you want to be 13-0 we’re good enough to be 13-0. Schedule it that way. Even though we could have won those games, losing came into play.”
On the improvement of graduate guard Mylik Wilson
(In last Saturday's win against BYU, Wilson scored 12 points and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field. Monday, he finished with 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting.)
“Mylik wasn’t a very good shooter when he got here and he’d be the first to tell you, but I am so proud of this young man. I am so proud of him because he has made himself into that shooter. I appreciate these guys wanting to give our coaches a lot of credit, but sometimes you have to deflect it back to them. They deserve the credit.
“Mylik is here a lot of days when it’s only the managers. We have great managers and they’re part of our culture as managers. Mylik has earned the right to make those shots. … He’s put in so many hours and hours at the gym.”
On Houston’s hot start to the game
(The Cougars began the game by making their first six field goal attempts and built a 15-4 lead. Sharp made back-to-back 3's that gave Houston an early 9-0 advantage.)
“I thought Emanuel got us going, and we kind of got too comfortable, and we’re not very good at being comfortable. Our defense was okay.
“And then, in the second half, after we made some adjustments and saw how they were depending on the post, so instead of throwing the ball to J’Wan at the post, we threw it on a roll, and once it gets on the roll, he can make a decision.”
