The Houston Cougars have moved to #1 in the AP Poll for the first time since March 14, 1983. It has been 14,503 days since Phi Slama Jama finished the 1983 regular season ranked #1. The Coogs have been ranked #1 in three different seasons now: 1967-68, 1982-83, and 2022-23. In the first two instances, Houston advanced to the Final Four.
After the Kent State game on Saturday, Kelvin Sampson said that he didn’t know what being #1 felt like, but the ranking should be a big deal to everyone at UH.
Last week’s #2 ranking was the highest of Sampson’s career. His OU team was ranked #3 in 2002 and then
began and ended 2003 at #3. The last time UH was #1, Sampson was just a sweater-vest-wearing coach at Montana Tech:
For Cougar fans that have endured nearly 40 years in the abyss, this day must feel awfully special. We can’t help but think about the Coogs that didn’t get to see this day – Guy V. Lewis, George and Lois Thorn, PSJ assistant coach Terry Kirkpatrick, Renaldo Thomas, Darryl Brown, Mike Drake, and many, many more superfans.
What a historic day!
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