Houston’s Kelvin Sampson is hoping better offense will get him elusive national title

Houston basketball is trying to rebound from a gut-wrenching loss in the national championship game last season and get head coach Kelvin Sampson that elusive ring. Sampson’s Houston teams have become known over the years for their defensive prowess and physicality, but the Cougars have a bit of a different feel in 2025-26.

Houston has had an explosive offense so far this season led by a group of very talented guards, both returning from last year’s team and from a very good freshman class. That was on full display on Saturday when Houston took down Arkansas at a neutral site in New Jersey, 94-85.

After the game, Sampson was hopeful that the best offense he’s had at Houston can help him finally get over the hump and get that national title.

"We used to be a defensive school… maybe this way we'll win one more game."

Kelvin Sampson told @JonRothstein how the Cougars were able to put up 94 points vs. Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/lZvSvO2PPF

— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) December 21, 2025

“We used to be a defensive school, but maybe this way we’ll win one more game,” Sampson said.

Houston was led by those guards in this game, as Emanuel Sharp scored 22 points and star freshman Kingston Flemings added 21. Milos Uzan also scored 13 to help spearhead the Cougars’ offensive attack in this one.

Those three have done a bulk of the scoring for Houston all season, and they did enough to get a win in this game despite the absence of defensive ace Joseph Tugler.

Houston has made it to the end of a non-conference gauntlet with just one loss, to Tennessee at the Players Era Festival. Outside of that, however, the Cougars have picked up wins over Auburn and Arkansas and are firmly ranked in the top 10 heading into the brief holiday break.

When Houston returns, it will have one more tune-up game against Middle Tennessee State before it gets Big 12 play underway against Cincinnati on Jan. 3. The Big 12 is expected to be one of the best conferences in college basketball once again this season, so Houston will have its work cut out for it if it wants to defend its crown.

With this offense and a defense that should only be getting better, there’s no doubt that Sampson and company will back themselves to get the job done and make another deep run in March.

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