The Houston Cougars’ dominance was snapped on Saturday, as they dropped their first home game of the season, 73-66, to the Arizona Wildcats. The game showcased a major weakness: Kelvin Sampson’s team struggled to retain possession and avoid fouls. However, the uproar from the fanbase after the game was even louder than expected. This was only the program’s second home loss since joining the Big 12 conference from the AAC in 2023.

For context, their first home defeat came in the same month last season, against No. 22 Texas Tech, in a narrow 82-81 overtime loss. However, a loss against the Wildcats, which was missing key players Koa Peat and Dwayne Aristode, was the boiling point for fans last night. Brayden Burries was also not at his best, scoring just seven points in 31 minutes.

Sampson’s team was undisciplined, sending Arizona to the free-throw line 31 times, while they converted 20 of those shots. Those extra points eventually cost the home team. On top of that, the Cougars had a cold shooting night. A team that has averaged 45.22% from open play shot just 36% from the field. These factors combined created a huge upset, despite the Cougars being considered firm favorites to win. Naturally, Sampson faced the heat on social media.

Kelvin Sampson and Co. were not spared by the fanbase after a shock loss to Arizona

“Sampson isn’t good,” a fan wrote.

“Losing to Iowa State on Monday killed Houston’s confidence after being up by double digits the Big 12 is a stacked conference good losses before March my Coogs will bounce back and Sampson has to stop yanking his hot players out the game when they making buckets. Arizona good,” commented another fan.

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Kelvin Sampson’s mettle as the Cougars’ head coach isn’t debatable. After all, he is the first coach to lead them to an NCAA Championship game since 1984. However, there’ve been instances when fans felt that Sampson pushed the narrative a bit too far, most recently by calling out his program’s financial situation.

In the context of the previous game, netizens pointed out that Sampson made a few questionable rotations. One such instance occurred in the second half, when the team’s scoring leader, Kingston Flemings, was causing havoc with just over 13 minutes left. The Cougars guard scored three consecutive attempts in a span of three minutes, helping the team narrow the deficit to a point.

But moments later, Sampson substituted him with Isiah Harwell. This changed the momentum of the game, as just a few plays later, the Wildcats took the lead 56-50. The Cougars never recovered from that point, which ultimately led to a tough loss.

“People should know by now not to trust Kelvin Sampson and Houston in any big games lol…” stated another netizen.

It’s true to a certain extent, as Sampson and the Cougars have lost four games against ranked teams so far: Iowa State, Arizona, Texas Tech, and Tennessee. While their record this season showcases wins over No. 11 BYU and No. 14 Texas Tech, they’ve been blown away by the teams they could face in the Big Dance. However, the coach clarified that he won’t lose sleep over these defeats.

“Losing has never bothered me that much because losing is part of the journey,” Sampson said after the game. “You’re going to lose games. We win around here so much sometimes that you forget we can lose two.”

“Houston is trash. Georgia would beat them,” wrote a fan.

“Houston *** as ****😂 they wont make it past the first weekend,” another viewer commented.

Despite the defeat, the Cougars are one of the top teams for the Big Dance. They’re currently 23-4 overall and 11-3 in the conference this season. Thus, to say they won’t get past the initial knockout phase would be an overexaggeration. But Sampson still has a lot of room for improvement, and with their fortress now breached, they will be seeking answers in the upcoming games. They face No. 8 Kansas next on February 23 away from home.