Two Houston teams are in the NCAA basketball tournament – better known as March Madness.
Texas Southern University will meet North Carolina Central Wednesday (5:40 p.m., TruTV) and the University of Houston will play San Diego State on Thursday (6:20 p.m., TBS).
A day before their flight to Wichita, Kansas, the Cougars were practicing at the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility on the UH campus.
Nineteen banners adorn the gym wall – each for one NCAA tournament appearance since 1956.
Soon, there will be a 20th; it’s the first in eight years.
Coach Kelvin Sampson said it’s special, not just for the team but for the university.
“It is hard to make this tournament. It really is,” he said. “And our school made it. So if you’re an alumnus, a booster, fan of the University of Houston, it’s a source of pride. It’s a big deal.”
Point guard Galen Robinson agreed.
“‘Big’ isn’t the word,” he said. “That’s extraordinary. That’s more realistic. It’s huge for our program and it’ll be big if we can win and advance.”
How far will they go? Coach Sampson said he has no idea.
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t play the game.”