NCAA Tournament: Coach Houston talks about Florida’s defeat
Houston Cougars“The final ownership of the NCAA Tournament Finals on Monday night with the Florida Gators was a head screcher who downplayed it.
With a chance to tie it together at 65-63, or even better, when the game ended, the Cougars were unable to shoot the shot. Emmanuel Sharp seemed to be trying to raise a 3-pointer for victory, but instead dropped the ball. Gators Defender Closed to block shot attempts.
The Cougars had sales before their possession, but the fact that the shot wasn’t rising near the last buzzer had scratched a lot of heads about what Houston was thinking.
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Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson responds after playing against the Florida Gators in his final four games at the Alamodome. (Image of Bob Donn-Immagn)
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson is about to lead his amazing cougar squad into the program First national titleThe final buzzer was blown away and looked umb-like by what had happened, so I peered into the court.
In a postgame interview, Sampson clearly knew the questions that came. What was the play and, more importantly, why didn’t the shot go up?
Florida won the NCAA Tournament in Houston after eliminating a 12-point deficit in a thrilling way
Sampson said Sharp should shoot with that deep three-point attempt, rather than jumping and letting go of the ball (he was standing around it because double dribbling was called if he touched it first).
“Both people (Florida’s will) Richard and (Aliya) Martin, both are really defensively good,” Sampson said. “Clayton played great about it, but that’s why you had to shoot and get the paint.
“The two are fine.”
But Sampson knows that whatever the defense is, he needs to get the ball into the net.
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson will respond during his final four games at the Alamodome. (Scott Wachter-Imagn image)
“Finally, you have to shoot,” he said. “You have to do better than that.”
But Sampson I told ESPN He didn’t scream at the players in the locker room after the game. They fought throughout the tournament. This includes defeating Duke in a victory from behind in the Final Four.
In this final, the Cougars saw a 12-point lead being erased by the Gators in the second half.
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson told the players after the game, “I’m disappointed they lost, but please don’t be disappointed with their efforts.” (Image of Bob Donn-Immagn)
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“I’m disappointed that they lost, but please don’t disappoint their efforts,” Sampson explained via ESPN. “These guys played hard with each other, and to get to this point, they shoot shots for a minute or two right at the end of their national championship victory. They have a lot to be proud of.”
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