The 1982 season is the least highlighted of Houston’s seven Final Four teams. UH climbed to No. 10 nationally in the AP Poll before hitting a mid-January wall. The Cougars lost four Southwest Conference games in a row to fall out of contention in the league race. But starting on February 3, 1982, something special began.
Houston lost the second game of the season, at Seton Hall, then ripped off eight-straight, including over #6 Iowa, heading into SWC play. The Cougars were the preseason favorite and, after two quick wins to start conference play, moved to No. 10 in the nation. But UH lost the next four in a row – to Texas and SMU at home, then at Arkansas and TCU. Following the TCU game, a players-only meeting was held in a hotel room in Fort Worth. They discussed their free-throw shooting and general lack of discipline. In that four-game losing streak, UH shot 35/63 (56%) at the line (UH went 17/43 outside the Arkansas game, 39.5%). Their opponents were 84/107 (78.5%) in the same stretch.
The Coogs put it together against Baylor (99-78 win), but were blown out at G. Rollie White to fall to 3-5 and sixth place in the league standings. But what became Phi Slama Jama eleven months later began on February 3rd, as Houston beat Texas Tech at Hofheinz, 83-80.
Guy V. Lewis benched Hakeem Olajuwon that night, replacing him with Lynden Rose. In the first half, Tech had been called for fouls on six-straight UH possessions, and the Cougars’ hot foul shooting had kept them in the game. In the second half, Rob Williams put on a clinic and started scoring from everywhere, and UH took a 12-point lead, 69-57.
Tech’s Vince Taylor slammed it home on the next play and was fouled, but it was not called. That sent Tech coach Gerald Myers through the roof. Myers stormed the court, flailing at the refs. He was assessed two technicals, and when UH assistant Terry Kirkpatrick came to inquire about the ref’s ruling, Myers started yelling at him. The double-tech was short of Myers own record (three technicals) received the previous season at Hofheinz.
Rob Williams hit all four free throws as Houston went 23/29 from the line. Tech rallied after the Myers ejection, but the Cougars hung on for the win. “I expressed my appreciation to the officials about that call,” Myers said after the game.
That night was the first game of an incredible 39-game winning streak in SWC regular-season games. Only a loss at No. 12 Arkansas to end the 1984 season prevented a perfect 40-game run through the Southwest Conference. The Coogs went 8-0 to rally to a second-place finish in 1982, went a perfect 16-0 in 1983, and 15-1 in 1984. Houston won both the SWC regular season and SWC Classic titles in 1983 and 84.
The day of the Tech game, the Houston Post gave out midseason grades and said Guy V. Lewis had done the worst coaching job in the Southwest Conference. But Rice coach Tommy Suitts came to Guy’s defense and turned out to be prescient:
“UH is still the most talented team in the league. They are capable of a complete reversal. Yes, I mean going 8-0.”
