A BIG VICTORY
Kelvin Sampson's Cougars get signature win by knocking off No. 7 Wichita State 73-59
Jan 20, 2018, 1:03 pm
Kelvin Sampson led the Cougars to a big win. UHCougars.com
Kelvin Sampson's Houston Cougars may have finally arrived.
The Cougars got a long-awaited signature win, knocking off No. 7 Wichita State 73-59 on Saturday at the Health and P.E. Center on the TSU campus. Joe Lunardi had the Cougars on his "first four out" of the tournament list before Saturday's game. They are now 15-4 on the season after the win, 5-2 in the tough American Conference, tied for second in the standings. Their best prior win before this was probably over Arkansas in early December.
Sampson is in his fourth season at UH, and has his best team to date. His teams won 13, 22 and 21 games in his first three years, respectively, but were never really tournament threats.
Now they should be. They still have some tough tests ahead -- but also games that could be resume builders. They face Cincinnati and SMU twice, and still have Memphis on the schedule. So while they might not be a tournament team yet, they are in the conversation, and a winning record against that group down the stretch would probably get them there.
Senior guard Rob Gray continues to play at a high level, leading the Cougars with 24 points on an array of drives and pull-ups. The Cougars played tough defense, and held their own with a big Wichita State team that dominated the boards, including 17 offensive rebounds. But the Cougars also forced 18 turnovers and were never really threatened down the stretch. It was a huge win, in that the Shockers had won 11 straight road games before Saturday's game, and routed Houston just over a week ago. It was Houston's first win over a top seven team since 1996.
Thus, it was fitting that the school is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Game of the Century, UH's signature 71-69 win over Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and UCLA at the Astrodome that launched the modern TV era of college basketball. That UH team would lose a rematch in the Final Four.
This Houston team has a long way to go to even make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. But Saturday was a huge step in the right direction.
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The Houston Astros are in the middle of a midseason surge that’s turned heads across the American League, but don’t let the win streak distract from one key truth: they’re doing this with less.
So what’s powering the Astros’ recent run? It starts with elite pitching. Despite an offense that's been merely middle-of-the-pack — 14th in OPS, 20th in runs scored, and 17th in slugging — Houston ranks fifth in team ERA and leads the majors in batting average against (.218). That’s how they’re winning series while missing key pieces of their core.
Still, there’s more to this run than numbers. Is the resilience we’re seeing tangible evidence of the Astros’ winning culture? Absolutely — especially lately. Rookie Cam Smith is the latest example. He delivered the first walk-off hit of his career over the weekend and looks like he belongs in the big leagues. Meanwhile, the lineup has caught fire over the last week hitting:
- Jose Altuve: .429
- Jeremy Peña: .417
- Cam Smith: .304
- Yainer Diaz: .292
- Christian Walker: .278
And all of this has come without one of Houston’s top two hitters being unavailable for the Twins series, Isaac Paredes, who remains sidelined with a sore hamstring.
With 71 games in the books, the conversation around second-year manager Joe Espada is beginning to shift — from quiet confidence to serious consideration for AL Manager of the Year. The case is strong. Espada has navigated a bruised and bruising season that’s seen Yordan Alvarez miss extended time with a fractured bone in his hand and three key starting pitchers (Spencer Arrighetti, Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco) land on the shelf — two of them for the year.
So, what would it take for Astros owner Jim Crane to give GM Dana Brown the green light to aggressively pursue help at the deadline? History suggests pitching would be the priority. But with young arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter stepping up, a move may not feel necessary, especially if it means exceeding the luxury tax threshold.
The Astros might be banged up, but they’re thriving and proving they don’t need to be at full strength to play like contenders.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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