How Houston basketball is guarding against March Madness upset vs Longwood in 1-16 game

Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson was in no mood Thursday, as March Madness was getting into full swing, to think any further down the line than Friday.

His Cougars have 30 wins this season – more than any team in the country besides UConn and James Madison. He has taken his program to the Sweet 16 three years in a row and four out of the last five. In 2021, Sampson got Houston to the Final Four.

And, this season, the Cougars (despite coming off a 28-point loss to Iowa State) are a No. 1 seed and a popular pick to get back to the Final Four for a seventh time.

Standing in their way, though, is 16-seed, Big South champion Longwood. The two will meet Friday (8:20 p.m., TNT) at FedExForum in Memphis.

Even though No. 16 seeds have ever won twice in NCAA Tournament history, Sampson refused to give air to any questions about another potential Final Four run or beyond.

“I don't know,” he said. “I just worry about winning the next one.”

Which is possibly the biggest reason why Houston has been so good under Sampson. It could also be his coaching prowess or his ability to attract such high-level talent such as All-Americans Jamal Shead and L.J. Cryer. But, judging by the way the Cougars went about their business during Thursday’s media sessions and open practice, their tunnel vision deserves just as much credit as anything else.

When Sampson, almost dismissively, swats away any notion that anything other than Longwood is on his mind, it comes across as genuine. When his players echo and mimic that sentiment, it’s believable that Houston doesn’t even know which teams could await it in the Round of 32 if it beats Longwood. For the record, it would be the Nebraska-Texas A&M winner on Sunday.

From the top down, the Cougars are all business and have blinders on to block out everything except the Lancers.

“We’re just trying to look forward to Longwood,” Shead said. “And if we are able to get past them, then we’ll look to the next team.”

If Houston’s laser focus has been even a little divided, it is because the team has spent the past few days looking in the mirror. The Cougars steamrolled out to a 14-0 start, then lost back-to-back games in January to Iowa State and TCU (both on the road). Over the next two months, the only bump in the road was a road loss to Kansas.

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But, last week, Iowa State got Houston again, this time in the Big 12 tournament. Sampson saw it as a chance to look inward.

“It’s not too much physical around this time of year,” said forward J’Wan Roberts. “It’s not about three-hour practices anymore. It’s just about locking in and executing your plays, because one mistake can cost you a game.

“We watch a lot of film, find a lot of ways we can score. Find different ways to defend (Longwood). They’re a pretty good team, because they made the tournament. Every game we play, we’re going to have everybody’s best game.”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Houston basketball guards against ultimate March Madness upset