In early March — a few days before the world got turned upside down due to a rising pandemic — Houston appeared to be a realistic destination to capture a basketball championship title. But instead of depending on the Houston Rockets to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy, the city’s best title chances resided 10 minutes away inside the walls of the Fertitta Center.
The Houston Cougars — led by two-time AAC Coach of the Year winner Kelvin Sampson — had just clinched their second consecutive American Athletic Conference regular-season title and the No.