All Kelvin Sampson could do was stand there, hands on hips with a blank look on his face, as the ball bounced loose and Houston’s latest chance at a national title bounced away, too.

Houston, in its seventh Final Four, is a program with a rich history and a proud lineage that features Phi Slama Jama, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Elvin Hayes. It's a history that does not include an NCAA championship.

When Kelvin Sampson took over Houston basketball in 2014, the to-do list was long. Now he's taken the Cougars to the verge of a national championship.