Sampson on UH top ranking: 'I certainly don't think we're the best team in the nation, but I'm really happy for our fans'

The University of Houston (UH) Cougars men’s basketball team became the new No. 1 team in the country on Monday, according to an Associated Press (AP) article that was ran by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU. 

The Kelvin Sampson-led Cougars occupy the top spot in the AP Top 25 after Saturday’s hard-fought 49-44 victory over Kent State. 

“For the first time in nearly 40 years,” the program’s Twitter account posted.

The current squad, bolstered by the long-awaited returns of senior guard Marcus Sasser and junior guard Tramon Mark from injury, appears to embark on the same trajectory as the famed 1983 Phi Slama Jama squad that featured future National Basketball Association (NBA) legends Hakeem née Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. 

UH, which began its 2022-2023 campaign as strong favorites for the national championship, possesses a 6-0 record as of Monday, per the program’s website. 

Sampson, Sasser, Mark and crew; however, hope to enjoy a happier ending unlike that for their vaunted counterparts almost 40 years ago.

Despite his program’s ascent to the top of the rankings, Sampson still believes the Cougars could do even better. 

"I certainly don't think we're the best team in the nation, but I'm really happy for our fans," he said, the AP reported. "They've been through some tough decades." 

According to the AP, the Cougars garnered 45 out of 63 first-place votes to best second-ranked Texas and third-place Virginia.

A postgame recap on the UH website reported that Sasser shook off a poor shooting day to help guide the Cougars to the win over Kent State with 19 points. 

Per Sampson, the Golden Flashes provided his team with an eye-opener. 

"That's the first time all year someone has punched us in the mouth," the coach, who has a little over 700 career victories under his belt, said in the report. "We're used to punching other people in the mouth around here."

The Cougars continue their homestand with Tuesday’s tilt against Norfolk State at 7 p.m.