Every classic game at the end of a playoff or tournament game comes with two vastly different perspectives. On Monday night, Florida basketball is ecstatic after knocking off Houston 65-63 in an epic national championship game, but the Cougars are understandably devastated.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, who has done an excellent job with this team all season long, is certainly no different. He shared his heartbreaking reaction just after the final buzzer sounded.
“I love these kids. I love this staff. I love this program. This one hurts. This one stings.”
An emotional Kelvin Sampson spoke w/ @tracywolfson following Houston’s title game loss pic.twitter.com/6JoFHcT9hb
— CBS Sports College Basketball
(@CBSSportsCBB) April 8, 2025
“We could’ve done things better in the last two or three minutes, and I could’ve done things better,” Sampson said after Houston’s loss. “It always starts with me. I always look at how I could’ve done better, but I’m so proud of this team for what they’ve done. Winning the Big 12, winning the Big 12 Tournament, winning five consecutive games and coming within an eyelash of winning a national championship. I love these kids. I love this staff. I love this program. This one hurts. This one stings. But at some point these guys will realize how special they are.”
This one will hurt for a while for a Houston program that has only been to one other Final Four under Sampson, losing in the national semifinal in 2021. The Cougars will still be a powerhouse going forward with a great recruiting class coming in, but it is so hard to get to this point and there’s no guarantee that Houston will ever be back.
Sampson will have to replace some of his best players from this roster, including senior starters J’Wan Roberts and LJ Cryer. Guards Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan still have eligibility left, and Houston should have a good foundation to build off of if the two of them stick around.
Regardless of how the roster looks heading into next season, the scar tissue from this loss will stick around and will hurt for this Houston basketball team. Sampson’s emotional postgame interview is an indicator of that, and the Cougars will have to take that into next season.
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