There was always this feeling on Monday night that the University of Houston Cougars had been here before.
But this NCAA Tournament National Championship Game against the Florida Gators was going to have a different ending than the last two times the Cougars were in this position. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars exited the Alamodome floor in San Antonio disappointed and defeated after letting the national championship slip away—figuratively and literally—in a heartbreaking 65-63 loss to Florida. With a little over 19 seconds remaining, it seemed like the Cougars were on the verge of righting wrongs of the past but those dreams went away when guard Emanuel Sharp lifted off for a 3-pointer with the ball in his hands.
The ball went rolling and time expired. Just like that it was over.
Sampson, 69, had a chance to clinch his 800th career victory and become just the fifth men’s coach of African American descent to win a national championship. UH missed out on doing something Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and the Phi Slama Jama crew couldn’t do which is bring home the title.
But it was still a hell of a ride for the Cougars and Houston.
While the storyline is that the Cougars, playing for the national title for the first time since 1984, fell short in another Final Four Championship, what will be lost is the great effort put forth by LJ Cryer, J’Wan Roberts, Sharp and Sampson. For much of the game, the Cougars led as their suffocating defense made Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. almost a non-factor.
Then Cryer, Sharp, and Roberts along with Mylik Wilson and Ja’Vier seemingly hit big shot after big shot to help the Cougars’ lead swell to as much as 12 points in the second half.
The Cougars’ fortunes, however, began to change once Clayton finally found his groove and broke out of a scoreless first-half slump. It also didn’t help that the Cougars’ bigs got into foul trouble, which allowed Will Richards and Clayton to attack the rim. Richards finished with 18 points, while Clayton came through with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
In a game that was defined by defensive toughness on both sides, the Cougars struggled to find consistent points in the second half. The game was tied 13 times and seemed destined for a photo finish.
We hoped the Cougars had one more fantastic finish, like the last-second victories they produced against Purdue and Duke, to even be in this position. But it wasn’t meant to be—again.
