Sampson wants tough matchups to build résumé
Kelvin Sampson always is on the lookout for the next attractive nonconference men’s basketball series.
Matchups against some of basketball’s blue bloods that would have been a pipe dream just a few years ago suddenly are in the negotiation stages. The University of Houston now gets invitations to the top holiday tournaments.
“I’m talking to a lot of schools right now,” Sampson, in his sixth season with the Cougars, said. “All of a sudden, it’s a lot easier for us to schedule the bigger schools because they see us as a good game.”
UH’s recent success also made the Cougars a logical choice for the scheduling alliance this season between the American Athletic Conference and SEC. The agreement includes a plan to schedule four home-and-home series between four teams from each conference beginning this season. The first game is Sunday when Houston (4-2) plays South Carolina (6-3) in Columbia, S.C.
The other three games on the schedule will be played Jan. 4: Georgia at Memphis, SMU at Vanderbilt and Ole Miss at Wichita State.
The goal of the alliance is to create more Quadrant 1 and 2 opportunities, which could prove beneficial when it comes to selecting the field for the NCAA Tournament.
“SEC basketball offers quality opponents, which will elevate our nonconference schedules,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said, adding that the agreement “demonstrates the continued growth and appeal of AAC basketball.”
Sampson said UH’s inclusion in the inaugural games is a sign of the times with a recent run of success that includes consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances — including an AAC regular season title and Sweet 16 trip last season.
“Just comes with the territory of having a top program when you are in a tough league,” Sampson said. “It’s a reward for the consistency our program has had the last few years. We have an outstanding conference, we really do.”
Sampson said AAC coaches collectively pushed for an alliance similar to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Big 12/SEC Challenge and the recently announced Pac-12 Coast-toCoast Challenge. The AAC had talks with the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West, but Sampson said “geographically, for us, the SEC worked better.”
In the last three years, Sampson scheduled homeand-home series with Oregon, LSU, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, BYU and Saint Louis.
A year ago, the Cougars overloaded the schedule with 11 nonconference home games — among them Oregon, LSU, Utah State and Saint Louis — to coincide with the opening of Fertitta Center.
UH will also make an appearance in the Diamond Head Classic during Christmas week against Portland, either Georgia Tech or Boise State, and a group that includes UTEP, Washington, Ball State and Hawaii.
“Check Power Five schools and see how many of them play three road games in nonconference,” Sampson said.
By the end of December, UH’s nonconference slate could include at least six opponents current among the top 75 in the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
“Nonconference schedule has always been important to me,” Sampson said. “I never want our nonconference schedule to be the reason we don’t make the [NCAA] Tournament — and it never will.”
Beyond this season, the Cougars are part of the field for the Charleston Classic in 2020 that also includes Tennessee, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Seton Hall, VCU and College of Charleston.
There is also the likelihood UH will be invited to another prestigious earlyseason tournament in 2021.
Sampson also continues to build the nonconference for future seasons, including at least one homeand-home against a blue blood program that could begin as early as the 202122 season.