INDIANAPOLIS — Kelvin Sampson has come to expect the late-night phone calls from Rick Barnes. The Houston coach can’t begin ...

INDIANAPOLIS — Kelvin Sampson has come to expect the late-night phone calls from Rick Barnes. The Houston coach can’t begin to predict Barnes’ reason for calling after decades of picking ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rick Barnes and Kelvin Sampson are such old friends that they played against each other in college in North Carolina nearly 50 years ago, back when Barnes had long, flowing hair.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson are longtime friends with similar coaching styles. Both coaches are known for their demanding coaching styles that emphasize hard work ...

INDIANAPOLIS — Some nights Kelvin Sampson’s phone will ring. Rick Barnes has a question. “He won’t even say hello. He will just say, you still run your 3-2-zone? I’ll say, yeah ...

INDIANAPOLIS — In a matchup steeped in friendship and mutual respect, Houston's Kelvin Sampson and Tennessee's Rick Barnes will face off in the Elite Eight, continuing a relationship that spans ...

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson estimated he's been friends with Tennessee coach Rick Barnes for "40-something years" ahead of the Cougars' clash with the Volunteers in the Elite Eight on Sunday.