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.

For the better part of 40 minutes Monday night, an elusive championship was in Houston's and head coach Kelvin Sampson's grasp. A victory would have have marked a breakthrough for a program and a coach who took the championship stage in San Antonio on similar trajectories.

Kelvin Sampson watched his Houston team come within seconds of the first NCAA title for both himself and the program.