The Houston Cougars are riding high in the spirit of March Madness after their upset win over powerhouse Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson spoke candidly on how they prepared for their top-seeded opponent – and what their strategy harped on versus the teams the Wildcats previously dispatched.
Via ESPN:
“Victories don't come with asterisks. It's not a beauty contest,” the Houston Cougars coach said. “I watched Arizona play. I watched them play UCLA. I watched them play Colorado. I watched the way those teams guarded them, and I knew we weren't going to guard them like those teams did. Those teams just switched them. They let them be comfortable. We were going to make them uncomfortable. It's what we do.”
The Arizona Wildcats owned one of the most high-powered offenses of the 2021-22 NCAA season. They ranked third in team scoring averaging 84.0 points per game during the regular season. They scored 87 and 85 respectively in their first two NCAA tournament wins but were limited to 60 against Houston.
“The key to beating Arizona is controlling the pace,” Sampson said. “We're going to win a game in the 60s. But we're not going to win a game in the 80s.”
Expect the Houston Cougars to continue to bring their tenacious defense and for Kelvin Sampson to have his team prepared as they continue their impressive run in March Madness.
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