It's not every coach who will recite another team's cheer — especially when those teams not only competed for the top overall seed of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, but also faced off against each other in the regular season.
But March Madness makes strange bedfellows, as Houston's Kelvin Sampson demonstrated on Friday. Perhaps that's why he appealed to Alabama fans in his Friday news conference to show up for the second-round Midwest meeting between No. 1 Houston and No. 9 Auburn and cheer against the Tigers. The game will be held at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., making it a de facto home game for Auburn.
"From what I know about Auburn-Alabama, I don't think I have to. I think I just did," Sampson said. "We're playing Auburn, 6:10 (p.m.). Let's go. We need some help. Roll Tide. How do you say 'Roll Tide?' Roll Tide. Yeah. Well, Roll Tide, 6:10. I don't think I have to go much further than that. That's pretty good."
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Houston is 16-1 in away and neutral-site games this season, but it's clear Sampson is unhappy about playing Auburn just 110 miles away from their campus. He even said "Roll Tide" in an approximation of a Southern accent, perhaps in an effort to make Crimson Tide fans more sympathetic to his cause.
Auburn's Bruce Pearl, for what it's worth, also joked that Sampson should recruit Alabama fans to root for the Cougars:
"If I was coaching the Houston Cougars, I would do everything I could to bring up to Alabama's fans just how much they're supposed to hate Auburn, right?" Pearl said. "Talk about anything you can possibly talk about. Talk about the Iron Bowl. Talk about Cam Newton and Cam beating them in Tuscaloosa. Talk about Charles Barkley. Talk about anything you can talk about just to rile that Alabama fan base up to root against Auburn."
MORE: Why Auburn has 'home court advantage' over No. 1 seed Houston
Rooting against the Tigers wouldn't be wholly altruistic for Alabama fans, either: The Houston-Auburn game is scheduled to tip off at 7:10 p.m. ET. Following that, top overall seed Alabama will face 8-seed Maryland in the second of two games at Legacy Arena.
If the Tigers win, it's possible — likely, even — their fans will stay in the arena to root against Alabama. That's the hope of Maryland's Kevin Willard, per Blake Byler of Alabama student newspaper The Crimson White:
Maryland’s Kevin Willard hoping Auburn wins so their fans stick around for the Alabama-Maryland game.
— Blake Byler (@blakebyler45) March 17, 2023
Houston’s Kelvin Sampson saying roll tide and calling for Alabama fans to cheer for Houston.
Tomorrow night is going to a crazy scene in Birmingham.
Basketball or football, the Iron Bowl is once again showing why it is one of the best rivalries in all of college athletics — as Houston and Maryland both are sure to find out firsthand.