Houston's March Madness Ends in Disappointment

0:00On March 27, Houston's basketball team saw its March madness run end in the Sweet 16, with a tough 65-55 loss to Illinois. Coach Kelvin Samson's shot at his first national title will have to wait after the Cougars got outplayed from start to finish, trailing by as much as 18 points. This season was meant to be a breakthrough following their runner-up finish the year before. Samson brought back three starters and added a strong freshman class with three top recruits all while hosting the game right near campus for a huge home edge. Fans and analysts are left shaking their heads at another early exit for Houston, a team with a history of close calls in the tournament. Samson looked rattled on the sideline, struggling to shift gears against Illinois smart defense. Key players let the team down inside, where Joseph Tuggler fouled early and couldn't dominate the boards, while back up, Khalifa Sako went scoreless with. No rebounds in limited minutes. Freshman standout, Kingston Fleming scored just 11 points without his usual fire, and Sharp Shooter Emanuel Sharp got ignored until too late.

1:07Now Houston faces an unexpected offseason rebuild, but with this core intact, Samson has the pieces to push harder, come next fall.