On April 3 , 2014 , Houston hired Kelvin Sampson as the new Cougars head coach . Sampson had just become eligible to be a college coach again after receiving a five-year show cause penalty in 2008 for sanctions against him during his time as Indiana head coach . In 2014 – 15 , Houston struggled again , finishing with a 13 – 19 record and 4 – 14 in the AAC . The 2015 – 16 team led a resurgence , finishing 22 – 10 , 12 – 6 , but lost in the AAC Tournament and in the first round of the NIT . In 2017 – 18 , the Cougars compiled a 27 – 8 record , reaching the finals of the AAC Tournament and winning a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984 . In 2018 – 19 , the Cougars ' success continued as they set a program record for wins with a 33 – 4 mark . They were AAC regular-season champions but fell in the finals of the conference tournament . They proceeded to the NCAA Tournament , where they reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 35 years
conference tournament
2019 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Houston Cougars men's basketball