Florida HC Todd Golden believes Kelvin Sampson's "underrated" Houston play like they have a "chip on their shoulder"

Despite being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden believes Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars are underrated. Heading into the National Championship Game on Monday, the Gators head coach praised his Houston counterpart and the way Sampson and the Cougars have responded this season.

The CBS Sports College Basketball X page posted their interview with Golden and Sampson ahead of the title game.

“I can tell coach continues to have that chip on his shoulder and his players play with that chip… I don’t want to say this in the wrong way but they went 19-1 in their league and I believe they were still a little underrated in terms of their national respect and prominence,” Todd Golden said.

Kelvin Sampson’s squad has the most NCAA Tournament wins of any Division 1 school in the past five years with 16, three more than UConn and Gonzaga.

Houston also holds the longest current streak of seasons making it to the Sweet 16, with six. They also made the Final Four in 2021, losing to the eventual champion Baylor Bears.

The Cougars are riding an 18-game winning streak and coming off one of the most unlikely wins of the season, going on a 9-0 run in the final 42 seconds for a 70-67 win over the Duke Blue Devils.

Despite facing a 14-point deficit with 8:17 to play, the Cougars didn’t let their guard down. Fittingly, they stepped up on defense against the most explosive team in the nation. Houston also arrives at the championship game with the top-ranked defense in the nation.

Kelvin Sampson’s team allowed a single field goal the rest of the way, while J’Wan Roberts scored two key free throws in the final minute, showing both physical and mental toughness when the game was on the line.

Kelvin Sampson looking to take his name off most-wins-without-title list

Kelvin Sampson transformed the Houston Cougars basketball program. Before his arrival in 2014, the school had a single NCAA Tournament trip in 22 years.

However, the Cougars haven’t been able to win a championship during that time. With 798 wins in his career, he has the second-most wins without a championship among active coaches, only behind Tennessee’s Rick Barnes.

Getting another win tonight would get Sampson off the list and give him his signature moment after almost 30 years as a college basketball head coach. It would also be the first national title for the Cougars, who lost their previous two title games in 1983 and 1984, during the Phi-Slama-Jama days.