HOUSTON – The party has not stopped for students at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.
The basketball teams for each of the schools have fought their way into the big dance, the NCAA Tournament.
This is a huge accomplishment for both schools.
The Houston Cougars, ranked as a No. 6 seed, are headed to Wichita to face San Diego State on Thursday, and Texas Southern facing NC Central on Wednesday in Nashville in a First Four Game.
It's an exciting time in this city to be a basketball fan and now the Cougars and Tigers look to impress on the national stage.
The Rockets aren’t the only basketball team creating a buzz in H-town.
“I still think Houston is a sleeper. Those guys play hard, they play smart, and they play together,” said former Houston Rockets point guard Kenny Smith.
For UH men’s basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson, this is the goal for him when he took over four seasons ago.
Sampson said he expects this to be the new standard for his Cougar basketball program.
“When I go back to May of 2014, to March of 2018, 26 and 7, ranked in the top 25 in the nation – here we are in the NCAA Tournament. Are you kidding me?” Sampson said.
TSU men’s basketball head coach Mike Davis said his Tigers are going dancing for the fourth time in five years and this time they’re looking for a win.
“This could be the tournament, where everybody watches. I always say, ‘You create miracles in March,’” Davis said.
These two teams not only share the same city, but they also shared the same court all season with the Cougars playing all of their home games at TSU while the Fertitta Center is under construction.