By SAM LANCE
Houston walked into the best league in the country and won in it outright in its first season. The Kelvin Sampson machine is real.
With Iowa State falling to Kansas State on the road, 65-58 on Saturday, Houston won the Big 12 outright no matter the result vs. No. 14 Kansas. Still, Houston destroyed the Jayhawks 76-46 at home to finish at 15-3 in the league, two games ahead of Iowa State in second place at 13-5. Houston rode a nine-game winning streak to put the conference away with its last loss coming to Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 3. A large part of Houston’s success has been the play of its seniors, and the Cougars are celebrated several on senior day including guards Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, Mylik Wilson, Damian Dunn, Ryan Elvin and forward Juwan Roberts. Bill Self said on pregame radio Shead will likely be the player on the year in the conference. He finished the game vs. Kansas with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Sampson and Houston had won four of the last five American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season titles before joining the Big 12 this season. By winning the Big 12 outright — the Cougars will not only be the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament — they will almost surely be a No. 1 seed come Selection Sunday. “We are not done yet,” Shead said during his postgame senior night speech. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookHead Coach Kelvin Sampson cutting down the net after winning the Big 12 Conference Championship:@UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/9E2pVXB9Z9
— Brian LaLima (@BLima790) March 9, 2024
