Monday night’s national championship game ended in heartbreak for the Big 12 conference. Houston watched a 12-point lead dwindle to nothing, as the Florida Gators captured momentum in the second half and snuck out of San Antonio with a title.
The Cougars trailed for just one minute of game time, but that was enough to watch their moment slip away, and it still stings this morning.
There is hope for a return on the horizon, though, as Kelvin Sampson is set to have a ton of production back next season, and the country is fully aware.
After the conclusion of Monday night’s game, “Way-Too-Early” rankings for next season started to pour in from media outlets all over the country.
While there are distinct differences with all of them, there is a common thread with the Cougars. All six major outlets have Houston occupying the No. 1 spot in their rankings for next season.
So, what has everyone feeling so good about UH next season?
The Coogs should return Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp, and JoJo Tugler from this year’s squad, plus they’ve got an incredible freshman class headed to campus, headlined by five-star center Chris Cenac Jr. and four-star guards Isiah Harwell and Kingston Flemings.
All of that talent, plus Kelvin Sampson running the show and setting the tone, means that the Cougars have every reason in the world to be optimistic about the immediate future—even if they are heartbroken about this year’s results.
