Kelvin Sampson's coaching reputation took hit after NCAA rule-breaking at two schools. But he has rebuilt his career and Houston basketball program.

When Kelvin Sampson took Houston to its last Final Four, it was a much different experience. That was in 2021, the year after COVID wiped out the entire NCAA To

Before Duke coach Jon Scheyer coached in his first official game after taking over for Mike Krzyzewski, he flew his team to Houston to play in a secret preseason scrimmage.  Scheyer intentionally sought out Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars for his first career "game.

The Houston Cougars have been to this stage before in recent history. Four years ago, in fact. That team, led by Marcus Sasser and Quentin Grimes, rode a stifling defense to the Final Four, where the inconsistent offense finally came back to bite them in a loss to eventual champs Baylor.

Pearl and Sampson were emerging from exile. This week, they’re both coaching at the Final Four, the “show-cause” penalties that once stood as a scarlet letter in college sports now

So that says it all." Now Houston is preparing for a Duke team which has three players who may be in next season's NBA video game, like forward Cooper Flagg. "They're lottery picks," Houston guard Milos Uzan noted about Duke's freshmen players.

UH is at its second Final Four in five seasons, but this year's experience is far more enjoyable than the Cougars' 2021 stay in the Indianapolis COVID bubble.

There are plenty of fun bets relating to the Final Four, from how many dunks Houston will have to which team will get to 15 points first.

The Duke Blue Devils face the Houston Cougars in the Final Four of the men’s NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, April 5, 2025.