Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars are right where they want to be - in the national conversation, sitting at No. 8 in the country, and eyeing another deep March run. With only two losses on the season, both to ranked opponents, this team is built like a contender. But while the Cougars are climbing the rankings, Sampson is raising alarms about a different kind of scoreboard - the financial one.
After a dominant 79-55 win over UCF, Sampson didn’t spend much time basking in the victory. Instead, he used his postgame press conference to shine a light on something that's been simmering beneath the surface: Houston’s financial limitations in the new era of college athletics.
In his words? “We’re poor.”
That’s not just coach-speak or hyperbole. According to data from USA Today’s 2024 sports finance database, Houston ranks 56th among all Division I men’s basketball programs in overall spending.
Among Power Four schools, they’re 54th out of 68. That’s a steep hill to climb when you're expected to compete with the likes of Kansas, Arizona, and Duke - programs with deep pockets and even deeper recruiting pipelines.
“We were poor when I got here and we're still poor,” Sampson said. “We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power Four.
The way our recruiting is going, we have to stop at some point because we don't have the money to keep bringing in many good players. And that's not easy for us to do."
It’s a candid admission from a coach who’s turned Houston into a perennial powerhouse - but it also points to the changing dynamics in college basketball. In the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) era, talent acquisition isn’t just about tradition or facilities anymore.
It’s about economics. And Sampson isn’t alone in noticing the shift.
“Teams that have the best recruiting classes usually have the most money,” he said. “That’s the way it is today. It’s not about who we want to sign; it’s about who can we afford to sign?”
That’s the new reality for programs like Houston - and really, for most of college basketball. The top of the recruiting mountain has always been crowded with blue bloods. But now, the names at the summit are shifting, not necessarily because of banners or championships, but because of financial backing.
Still, it’s worth noting: money doesn’t always equal wins - at least not yet. Among the teams ahead of Houston in the current rankings, several are also outside the top tier in spending.
Arizona, for example, ranks 31st in spending. UConn is 50th.
Iowa State sits at 39. And while Michigan ranks near the top financially, they’re the outlier when it comes to big NIL investments.
In short, Houston is proving you don’t need to outspend everyone to outplay them.
Sampson also made it clear that his top players are being taken care of within the current system. “They’re not starving here,” he said. “They’re getting exactly what the market is for them.”
That’s an important distinction. Houston isn’t failing to support its players - it’s just doing so with fewer resources than many of its peers.
And yet, the Cougars are still winning. Still climbing the polls.
Still shaping up to be a serious threat in March.
But Sampson’s concern is about sustainability. Can a program with a bottom-tier budget in its conference continue to compete at the highest level year after year? Can it keep landing top-tier talent when the recruiting battles are increasingly being fought in the boardroom as much as on the court?
That’s the question facing not just Houston, but a growing number of programs across the Power Four. The NIL era didn’t create the imbalance - it just changed the currency. Where once it was history, exposure, and NBA pipelines, now it’s also about financial packages and collective backing.
As for the Cougars, the road ahead doesn’t get any easier. With nine regular season games left, Houston is staring down a gauntlet that includes BYU, Iowa State, Arizona, and Kansas - all ranked in the top 16 nationally. It’s a stretch that will test their depth, their resolve, and yes, their ability to punch above their financial weight.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Sampson’s teams, it’s that they don’t flinch. The Cougars may not have the biggest budget, but they’ve got something money can’t buy - culture, toughness, and a coach who knows how to get the most out of his roster.
Houston’s not just surviving in the NIL era - they’re thriving. The question is, for how long?