MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Karen Sampson was nervous.
Of course she was, because she always is.
She is the coach’s wife, her son is an assistant coach and her daughter is the director of basketball operations.
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The University of Houston Cougars are as much Karen’s Sampson’s team, as Kelvin’s, Kellen’s and Lauren’s. The Sampson operation wouldn’t function the same without her.
Coach Karen has seen too much basketball not to be anxious before every game.
“Have you seen the upsets already?” she asked before the Cougars tipped off against Longwood.
RELATED: UH coasts into matchup with Texas A&M
UH would not be one of them.
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The No. 1-seed Cougars handled the Lancers with relative ease Friday at the FedExForum, squashing the crowd’s enthusiasm for a March Madness upset with a 10-0 spurt to start the game.
They never let up, rolling to an 86-46 win, holding Longwood to the fewest points of any opponent in the Cougars’ storied tournament history.
“It’s the NCAA Tournament, you don’t take anything for granted,” Kelvin Sampson said. “Our kids came in with the right attitude. Our best players approached it the right way, and our team followed.”
Longwood almost had more turnovers (14) than points (16) in the first half. That’s how poorly their night began.
Not that Longwood had any hope, but less than 10 seconds into the second half Emanuel Sharp drained a 3-pointer to give UH a 30-point lead and it got worse from there.
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The Lancers played hard, but at a faster pace than they would have liked. Tournament nerves and Cougars’ defense were too much for them.
“They’re just very aggressive,” Longwood guard Walyn Napper said. “It’s obvious that they work on defense a lot. They earned my respect tonight.
“That’s the reason why they’re one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best team in the nation.”
Most figured UH had little to worry about facing the Lancers, who were 24-point underdogs. The Cougars’ businesslike approach was impressive, as they posted the largest margin of victory in the school’s tournament history.
RELATED: A&M expects 'tug of war' with UH.
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“We don’t really look at favorites or the seeding,” said UH senior point guard Jamal Shead, who had 11 points and a game-high nine assists. “They’re a good team, and they were here for a reason, so we looked at it like another game where we have to have the right approach or we could have lost.
“I felt we were prepared the right way … and we went into the game with the right mindset.”
Even with the Cougars rolling in the second half, Sampson was still stalking courtside, barking at his players, demanding perfection.
Longwood’s D’Avian Houston got free for a 3-pointer to cut the UH lead to 29 points. Sampson was not pleased with his team’s defense.
“I thought he barely got the shot off and Sampson’s screaming at (Mylik) Wilson like, ‘That’s an emergency, get out there,’” Longwood coach Griff Aldrich said. “I was like, ‘Damn, I thought he was out there.’”
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The Cougars don’t mess around when it comes to defense.
“The pace at which they play is really remarkable,” Aldrich said. “What’s so impressive is their consistency throughout the game. Almost every possession. It’s relentless.”
Sampson didn’t let up and let us know the game was unofficially over until a fan called for him to put Ryan Elvin in the game with about seven minutes remaining.
Sampson turned to the fan and said, “A couple more minutes.”
UH (31-4) has posted a third consecutive 31-win season for the first time in school history.
The Cougars are a confident bunch, with a résumé that supports the swagger. Even after a blowout loss to Iowa State in the championship game of the Big 12 tournament, they weren’t fazed.
“After the Big 12 tournament, we just needed to rest,” Sampson said.
They needed an easy day at work with what could be a rugged contest against Texas A&M on Sunday.
With Wade Taylor IV looking like Steph Curry, the Aggies went nuts Friday, scoring a school-record 58 points in the first half en route to a 98-83 win over Nebraska.
UH won a tight game when the schools played earlier this season. A&M, the No. 9 seed in the South Region, has won five of its past six games. The Aggies are double-digit underdogs to the Cougars, with a trip to the regional tournament in Dallas at stake.
“Texas A&M is a much, much better team today than when we played them,” Sampson said. “They’re a team that can get to the Final Four. They’re that good.”
Now that sounds like a team that might cause some worry. But these Cougars are rarely flustered.
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