Houston Cougars stay locked in on practice, preparation ahead of NCAA Tournament opener

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- SIU Edwardsville is preparing for the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Ohio Valley Conference school only recently jumped to Division 1 basketball in 2008, but Kelvin Sampson doesn't care about any of that.

This year's UH team is the 20th team he's taken to the NCAA Tournament, and his rules for success never change.

"We don't change. Do what we do," Sampson said. "We go to practice every day with a plan."

Sampson's veteran team has taken his approach and used it to fashion a 13-game winning streak, capped by the Big 12 Conference Tournament title in a thrilling win over Arizona.

"It's just a testament to the culture. They were doing that before I even got here," L.J. Cryer said. The Big Scholar Athlete of the Year added, "I'm just blessed to be a part of something like this."

Cryer and his teammates earned a #1 seed in the Midwest Region, UH's third straight top seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is also the Cougars' fourth straight 30-win season, another school record.

UH will tip off against SUI Edwardsville at 1 p.m. on Thursday in Wichita, Kansas.

If UH wins, the Cougars will face the winner of Gonzaga vs. Georgia on Saturday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Sampson said Sunday the team will evaluate J'Wan Roberts to determine if he's available to play after the senior forward suffered an ankle injury in the Big 12 Tournament opener.

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