It wasn't too long ago that there were concerns about how the Houston Cougars basketball program would adjust to life in the Big 12 Conference. Sure, the Coogs had won five consecutive regular season titles while playing in the American Athletic Conference, but a step up in competition, where the likes of the Kansas Jayhawks, Baylor Bears and Iowa State Cyclones had already cemented themselves as perennial title contenders, was potentially something of game-changer for Kelvin Sampson's program.

It turns out, the game hasn't changed at all in Houston. It still belongs to Sampson and the Cougars, who on Saturday afternoon clinched their second straight Big 12 regular season title, proving that their success in a lesser conference was no fluke. The Houston Cougars are the class of the Big 12, and on Saturday after defeating Cincinnati by the final score of 73-64, they got to once again revel in their success.

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After Kelvin Sampson and his squad posed for their well-deserved photo-op, the longtime head coach took the opportunity to speak with reporters about how his Houston Cougars program remains at the top of whatever conference they're playing in.

Houston will enter next week's Big 12 Tournament as the betting favorite, and after the NCAA Tournament field is announced on March 16th, they'll likely be a very popular picks to make a deep tournament run, and potentially even return to the Final Four for the first time since 2021.