It’s time to review the best all-time Houston Cougars Final Fours. Will the Houston Cougars basketball team win this season’s national championship? As March Madness looms, let’s review the team’s best all-time Final Four appearances. We’ll briefly summarize each team’s season, remarking on the coach and top players. Then, we’ll recap their tournament journey, highlighting pivotal moments leading up to the Final Four.
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Table of Contents
Houston Cougars Final Fours
The following are the best Houston Cougars Final Fours of all-time. We’ll discuss each Final Four result, touching on the team’s season leading up to their tournament appearance.
1982 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 94-88 victory vs. Louisville (national semifinal), 68-63 loss vs. North Carolina (championship)
- Coach – Guy Lewis
- Top Players – Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Michael Young
- Final Standing – 25-8 Overall, 13-3 SWC
Head coach Guy Lewis, who coached the Cougars to 27 consecutive winning seasons, was one of the best basketball coaches in history to not win a national championship. His Cougars, who were known as “Phi Slama Jama,” had a great season, as he brought the team to the Final Four for the first time since 1968.
The Cougars were back and playing great in the latter half of the season, as they won their final eight games of the regular season. However, they did go only 1-1 in the SWC Conference Tournament.
Houston entered the NCAA Tournament as a #6 seed, and they had quite a few tough battles. Their only double-digit win of the tournament came in their first game, a 10-point win against #11 Alcorn State. Then, there were close wins against #3 Tulsa, #2 Missouri, and #8 Boston College. The win over the BC Eagles came in overtime. Then it was time for the Final Four and unfortunately, #1 North Carolina defeated Houston, 68-63.
1983 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 94-81 victory vs. Louisville (national semifinal), 54-52 loss vs. NC State (championship)
- Coach – Guy Lewis
- Top Players – Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Michael Young
- Final Standing – 31-5 Overall, 16-0 SWC
Guy Lewis’ Cougars were back for more in 1982-83, as Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Michael Young all returned for more. This time, it was a 20-game winning streak to finish the regular season for the juggernaut Cougars.
Houston, the winner of the SWC regular season title, then won the SWC Tournament with wins over SMU and TCU. The tournament title was the Cougars’ third all-time, with previous wins coming in 1978 and 1981.
It was time for the NCAA Tournament and this time, Houston was a #1 seed. Once again, a 10-point win was the result of the first contest for the Cougars. Then, Houston defeated #4 Memphis State by seven. In the Elite Eight, Houston destroyed #3 Villanova, 89-71. The Cougars made their Final Four matchup look easy, too – a 94-81 win over #1 Louisville. Unfortunately, there was some really bad luck in the National Championship Game. Houston was the favorite, but Jimmy Valvano’s #6 NC State Wolfpack improbably won, 54-52.
1984 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 49-47 victory vs. Virginia (national semifinal), 84-75 loss vs. Georgetown (championship)
- Coach – Guy Lewis
- Top Players – Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Young, and Alvin Franklin
- Final Standing – 32-5 Overall, 15-1 SWC
The Houston Cougars were gluttons for punishment at the end of the NCAA Tournament, as they were back again in 1984. The 1983-84 Cougars were once again led by Hakeem Olajuwon, and he had the team playing fantastically again.
Although Houston lost the last game of its regular season, the Cougars were still a strong 26-4 heading into the conference tournament. Once again, Houston won the SWC Tournament, but this time it was with two close wins.
Then in the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars were a #2 seed. They defeated #10 Louisiana Tech by eight points, #6 Memphis State by seven points, and #4 Wake Forest by five points. In the Final Four, Houston was tested by #7 Virginia, and the Cougars won, 49-47, in overtime. In the National Championship Game, Patrick Ewing and #1 Georgetown emerged victorious, 84-75. It was another tough finish for Houston.
2021 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 78-59 loss vs. Baylor (national semifinal)
- Coach – Kelvin Sampson
- Top Players – Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser, and DeJon Jarreau
- Final Standing – 28-4 Overall, 14-3 AAC
After 1984, the next Final Four for Houston came in 2021. Kelvin Sampson was in his seventh season as head coach of the Cougars, and it was a stellar season for Houston.
The Cougars began the season 15-1 and finished the regular season with a 21-3 record. Houston entered the AAC Tournament looking strong, and they made two of the three games look easy. A blowout of Tulane was followed by a close win over Memphis. Then, a 91-54 victory over Cincinnati won the tournament for Houston.
Then in the NCAA Tournament, #2 Houston took on #15 Cleveland State, and the Cougars won, 87-56. Then, there was a close win over #10 Rutgers, 63-60. Houston beat #11 Syracuse by 16 points in the Sweet Sixteen and then defeated #12 Oregon State, 67-61, in the Elite Eight. Then, the Final Four was next up, with Houston taking on #1 Baylor. It was not a close contest, as the Cougars fell, 78-59.
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Houston Cougars Game Odds
The following are the latest point spread, total, and moneyline odds for the next Houston Cougars basketball game, including any NCAA March Madness or Final Four tournament game.
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Houston Cougars Standings
Have a look at Houston’s current and past regular season standings before their next big matchup. Performance trends can often indicate the best way to bet on a game. Don’t forget to handicap the opposing team, too.
| Team | W-L | Win% | Home | Away | Conf | CGB | Conf% | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 Houston | 26-4 | 0.867 | 16-1 | 9-0 | 18-1 | - | 0.947 | W9 |
Tournament Resources
March Madness
- March Madness Betting Bonuses – See our recommendations for the best new and existing customer betting bonuses.
- March Madness Bracket Betting – Learn to bet on the March Madness tournament bracket, plus pick up some invaluable tournament betting strategies.
- March Madness Point Spreads – Review the latest point spreads for upcoming March Madness events.
- March Madness Moneylines – We’ve got the latest March Madness moneylines, plus a handy tutorial explaining how to place this simple bet.
- March Madness Prop Bets – We’ve got the latest March Madness prop bets and handy betting tutorial all in one article.
- March Madness Final Four Appearances – See which teams have made the most Final Four appearances in recent history.
- March Madness Bracket Busters – Have a look back at the best all-time bracket busting teams.
- March Madness Underdogs to Bet On – We’ve preselected a list of moneyline underdogs worth betting on.
- March Madness Over Under Trends – Our classic study looks at over-under total betting trends for the tournament broken down by seed and conference to identify unique betting opportunities.
Final Four
- Odds to Make the Final Four – See current futures odds to make the Final Four.
- Best Final Four Overtime Games – Review the best Final Four overtime games in history, including game results and summaries.