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

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.

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.