Kelvin Sampson said this year’s Houston men’s basketball team was nowhere near where 2020-21 Final Four team was at this point last season— and it showed as soon as the ball was tipped on Tuesday in the Cougars’ season-opener against Hofstra.
Rebounding, which UH has been among the best in the country for, was lacking. Just minutes into the game, Hofstra was out-rebounding the Cougars’ 6-0, including four offensive boards.
On top of that, the Cougars had defensive lapses, sloppy turnovers and missed plenty of point-blank layups.
While it was tough to watch at the moment, after the game Sampson had a unique appreciation for the struggles his team went through in the season-opening win.