Kelvin Sampson watched his Houston team come within seconds of the first NCAA title for both himself and the program.

Houston, in its seventh Final Four, is a program with a rich history and a proud lineage that features Phi Slama Jama, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Elvin Hayes. It's a history that does not include an NCAA championship.

Sampson deserves every bit of the credit after leading his resilient Cougars squad to an unlikely late-game victory, as Duke at one point had a whopping 98.5% chance of winning th