NEWARK, N.J. — How do you make it to within one shot of winning a national title, bring back three key pieces from that team, start 10-1 and still float along the outskirts of the national radar?Only one way: You’re the perpetually under-discussed Houston Cougars. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it’s how it is. Far too often. “Don’t sleep on Houston,” Kelvin Sampson famously said last April after the Cougars stunned much of the college hoops world by ending Cooper Flagg’s college career with the Coogs’ epic upset of No. 1 Duke in the Final Four.It’s time to remind the world to wake up again. Maybe it’s because Houston loves to win ugly. Maybe it’s because its schedule hasn’t been flashy so far. Maybe it’s because the Cougars don’t produce one-and-done talent (though, read on, because that’s now no longer the case).
The Cougars defeated the Razorbacks 94-85 to improve to 11-1, getting there behind 22 points from senior guard Emanuel Sharp and 21 more from freshman guard Kingston Flemings Jr.
Houston entered the game with a No. 8 ranking, Arkansas at No. 14. They didn’t look all that close. Arkansas was within breathing distance for the entire second half, but Houston broke the game open when it ripped off a 15-0 run to get the score to 41-19. The game teetered there. The only reason it wasn’t a blowout was thanks to the play of Arkansas freshman point Darius Acuff Jr., who kept the gap from becoming a chasm. Acuff, who may well be a lottery pick in next June’s NBA Draft, finished with 27 points and seven assists, both game-highs.
John Calipari and Kelvin Sampson have 70 Seasons and 1,600-plus wins between them, but this was just the second time they’d ever matched its; Calipari got the better of Sampson in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. For Arkansas, the game was a missed opportunity. The Hogs are 9-3, but a victory here would have surely bumped their reputation up a tier. Instead, they’re one of six or seven teams with talent that are jumbled near the top of the SEC, which will start league play in two weeks. Houston’s in a much rosier position. The Big 12 is stacked with the likes of Arizona, Iowa State, BYU and even Kansas. It hasn’t dropped a bit from its perch in this sport. The answer as to why Houston wasn’t getting more attention is their schedule. Saturday’s win logs as just the second Quad 1 victory for UH through 12 games, joining…
Try WordAi Free
2025-12-21 02:53:18
