Houston Does What Alabama Cannot — Fabian White & Josh Carlton Turn On the Power to Keep the Hurting Cougars Going While a Drained Bama Falls Hard

There are no hangover cures for something like this. Kelvin Sampson’s University of Houston basketball team arrive back on campus at 3:30 am Sunday morning. Battered, beaten (at least officially), completely physically spent and totally emotionally drained from one of the most controversial finishes in the University of Houston’s 75-year basketball history. Bama is still very much on the mind of Fabian White Jr. and his teammates.

The Cougars gave everything they had — only to lose 83-82 at the buzzer when an apparent goaltending goes uncalled on White’s second tip in attempt in the final second of the game.

“I think most of us are still thinking about that Bama game,” White says when I ask him about turning the page — nearly 72 hours after that frantic gut punch of a finish. “As the season continues, we may get another chance to play them down the line. But we’ve got to focus on the opponents we’ve got coming up and prepare for them.

“And have a short memory on that. But we still wanted to win that (Bama) game. It just didn’t turn out that way.”

No, it didn’t. Instead, what is sure to stand up as one of the best college basketball games of this entire regular season — an Elite Eight worthy all-out hardwood slugfest between two legit potential Top 10 teams — left both squads with plenty of wounds.

Sampson’s team would survive its, pulling away late to push back Louisiana-Lafayette 71-56 in its first game post Bama Tuesday night. Alabama would not be as fortunate — or as resilient. A Memphis team that came in struggling ran away from the Crimson Tide 92-78 about 571 miles away from UH’s campus. And if you don’t think what Sampson’s team took out of Alabama had plenty to do with the No. 6 team in the country falling three nights later, you’re simply not paying attention.

Penny Hardaway and Larry Brown probably should send Sampson a box of chocolates. Or some of that overrated Memphis barbecue.

There was simply no way for either Houston or Alabama to be whole just three days after that epic game. Not emotionally. Certainly not physically. It turned into a strange couple of days with point guard Jamal Shead going YouTube viral for conscientiously stopping to pick up the trash from a garbage can knocked over in frustration over the no call, no explanation finish in Tuscaloosa. While Shead definitely deserves all the praise he gets, the original video was taken by an Alabama fan who clearly wanted to embarrass Houston’s program for reacting angrily to the controversial loss. (Of course, one could argue don’t do anything that could potentially embarrass or be used against you and you don’t have to worry about the omnipresent amateur video brigade.)

Still, even a feel-good moment from that night is a little weird and complicated.

“I think some of these guys are still upset about the weekend,” Sampson says of his players. “Some of the coaches probably are too. But you have to move forward. And that’s why tonight was such a good win.

“This was a great win tonight for us.”

Later Sampson will say it “might be the best win we’ve had this year considering all the circumstances.” Of course that is only true because the referees did not call goaltending in Tuscaloosa. Which blocked what would have been the best win of the year.

UH Hangover Helpers

Sampson found himself with seven usable players — and only six of those were really healthy — on this potential hangover night. Super talent Tramon Mark is hurting from a shoulder injury that could keep him out for a good while — and maybe completely alter his sophomore season. Forward Reggie Chaney has been hindered by a hand injury almost all season. Lead guard Marcus Sasser has some foot pain that Kelvin Sampson describes as “turf toe times two.”

And J’Wan Roberts, the Cougar who came up the biggest in UH’s biggest game of the season, terrorizing Alabama with nine offensive rebounds, has two battered ankles that can make jumping painful. Sampson’s been managing Roberts’ nagging ankle injuries for a while — and that allowed him to play the offensive rebounding machine 22 minutes against Alabama when Houston needed him most.

Sampson would sit Sasser, Mark and Chaney against Louisiana. And Roberts, who gave so much in Tuscaloosa on those painful feet that he simply had nothing left to give, would be limited to 12 minutes on Tuesday night.

“I think he’ll play Saturday,” Sampson says when I ask about Sasser. “And Reggie. . . . I think had this been a conference game or championship NCAA Tournament game, Marcus might could have played. But we’ve got a long season ahead of us. I’d rather these kids be healthy. Reggie was taped up like a mummy the other night. His hand was so thick.”

Without Sasser, Roberts and Chaney, Houston still moved to 9-2 — with its two losses coming by a combined three points, including the goaltending that wasn’t — by turning to the front court difference makers it still did have. Before this season, Kelvin Sampson talked about this being arguably the most talented front court he’s had at the University of Houston.

On this night, White and UConn transfer Josh Carlton slam that point home. White puts up 12 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals in 36 taxing minutes, replacing Sasser as the steadiest player on the floor. Even on a night when his much improved 3-point shot is off. And all Carlton does is remind everyone why he was such a double-double machine at UConn with 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks of his own.

One thing that is different about this particular University of Houston team is how many ways it can win a game. Against Louisiana, just days after the Bama blow, the Cougars win with their inside force. Even Taze Moore, the 6-foot-5 wing who turns alley-oops into an Olympic sport, transforms himself into an inside bruiser by necessity. Moore grabs 10 rebounds (six offensive) to go with his 14 points, four assists and two steals.

Whatever it takes. You can bounce back while still hurting.

“We got back 3’o’clock (in the morning) Sunday,” Sampson says. “Today’s Tuesday. Think about it. These guys aren’t NBA guys. This game needed to have been played on Wednesday or Thursday. Especially when you’re basically playing with five guys.

“J’Wan had no legs tonight. And understandably so. I just couldn’t play him. He had no legs. And we had some other. . . But they gutted it out.”

Josh Carlton, a Different Type of Houston Force

UH assistant coach Kellen Sampson, who works with the big men before and after practice every day, has been seeing Carlton turn into the steady post force the coaches knew they were getting when they immediately targeted him in the transfer portal.

“I think one of the things with Josh is his maturity,” Kellen Sampson tells PaperCity. “He doesn’t get too high. He doesn’t get too low. His even temperament is what really, really jumps out at you about him. His size and his quick jump. Those are the things that when we played against him, I was always blown away by how quick his second jump was for offensive rebounding.

“That was a natural fit. And then the fact that you can play through him, I think we have just another way to go after teams.”

Now, the Cougars are doing that more and more with Carlton scoring 12 or more points in four straight and five of the last six games. UH still isn’t anything close to a post centered team, but it’s becoming part of this group’s identity. Another wrinkle that teams need to prepare to face.

Without Sasser, Roberts and Chaney, Houston still moved to 9-2 — with its two losses coming by a combined three points, including the goaltending that wasn’t — by turning to the front court difference makers it still did have.

Carlton, White and Roberts combine for 34 points and 25 rebounds against Alabama. And it is 29 points and 22 rebounds against Louisiana. Even with Roberts severely limited. And the whole Houston team more emotionally drained than someone subjected to 10 hours with an Energy Vampire.

Penny Hardaway and Larry Brown probably should send Sampson a box of chocolates. Or some of that overrated Memphis barbecue.

Alabama Dreaming

The Alabama loss that maybe should have been a win is crushing for so many different reasons. Including the fact that having that monster road W on its resume could have helped push this driven Final Four followup team to a difference making higher seed in the NCAA Tournament. This isn’t the NBA, where the endlessly long season almost always ensures you’ll get a second, third or fourth chance.

The Cougars are already hoping they get to play Alabama again in the NCAA Tournament as White volunteers when I ask about trying to recover from that game. And maybe an NCAA Tournament selection committee that is definitely not above setting up the bracket for maximum drama opportunities will make it a possibility. But even the still relatively remote chance of a rematch is so far down the road.

First, Sampson’s team needed to start recovering from the no call — and its wild night in Tuscaloosa. This hobbled, shorthanded win over Louisiana is no small first step. Drained Alabama could not follow up its win with another one (albeit against a Memphis team that is much more talented than the Ragin’ Cajuns).

The best revenge or answer back is for Houston to keep winning. That’s the most it can do. In this trap of a game against Louisiana. In Saturday’s future Big 12 preview tilt with Oklahoma State in Fort Worth’s gem of an arena. Going forward into the conference season.

“We have a lot of mature guys so we’re not really fazed by runs and all that,” White says. “We just continue playing to our culture and usually when always we play to our culture we always come out with the result that we want.”

Saturday night in Tuscaloosa when the whistles did not blow is the exception to that truth. Of course it still hurts. Kelvin Sampson, UH’s basketball lifer of a coach, understands that. But just because you’re hurting does not mean you can’t keep winning.

That is the mark of a potentially special team too. You don’t need to get over it to keep marching forward.