So why did Keith Langford & Big Eight come up in aftermath of Houston’s Big 12 title?
A Big 12 Tournament championship brought out the nostalgia in Houston Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson.
Speaking to reporters after Houston had put away Arizona 72-64 in the championship game at T-Mobile Center, Sampson likened the experience to the Big 12 tournament titles captured by his Oklahoma teams from 2001-2003.
The second one came against Kansas, a team that included freshman guard Keith Langford. In those days, the title game was on a Sunday, leading into the Selection Sunday show.
“I remember standing outside of one of those suites at Kemper Arena, talking to Keith Langford and his mother while they were announcing our name. I don’t know why that popped into my head just now. Those were the days, huh?”
The reminiscing didn’t stop there. Sampson, on the podium with two of his Houston stars — Milos Uzan, who finished with 25 points, and the tournament’s most outstanding player, Emanuel Sharp — reminded that he’s the last of the head coaches who worked in the Big Eight, which lasted until 1996.
Then he rattled off his competitors: Oklahoma State’s Eddie Sutton, Missouri’s Norm Stewart and Nebraska’s Danny Nee among them. He could have added Kansas’ Roy Williams and others.
“Those guys taught the new guys a lot,” Sampson said. “I learned a lot from those guys in the old Big Eight. ... What a great league it was then. More intimate.”
What a great team Sampson has now. The team’s tough-as-nails approach has added a perimeter shooting component that likely will send them into March Madness as a top seed that will open play at Wichita.
Saturday, the Cougars trailed by five at halftime and the Wildcats took a 62-61 lead with 5:32 remaining. Houston responded with personal 5-0 run from Uzan, starting with a 3-pointer, and never again trailed.
Uzan, an Oklahoma transfer, was named to the all-tournament team along with teammates Sharp and LJ Cryer. Also: Arizona’s Caleb Love and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, the league’s MVP.
Houston (30-4) made the Big 12 championship game a year ago, falling to Iowa State. The Cougars improved this season, roaring through the Big 12 with a 19-1 record. The one league loss came by one in overtime to Texas Tech. The Cougars have won 12 straight, including a rematch with the Red Raiders, entering the NCAA Tournament.
For Sampson, it might feel like that team that beat the Jayhawks and Langford, as well as Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and Drew Gooden, in 2002.
“The team I had in ‘02 I thought could beat anyone in the country,” Sampson said.