The Houston Cougars were already built like a Big 12 team when they joined the conference last year — and they ended up winning the league’s regular-season title.
While the Cougars fell in the Big 12 Tournament title game to Iowa State, they were able to reach the Sweet 16 but lost to Duke when they finally absorbed an injury they couldn’t take as Jamal Shead left the game before halftime.
Houston finished 32-5 last season, was ranked No. 1 at times during the season and finished with a 15-3 record in Big 12 play. By winning the league’s regular-season title, the Cougars have won or shared a conference title five of the last six seasons.
The best part of this year is that while Shead is gone, most of last year’s team is back and the Cougars have bolstered their roster with just enough recruits and transfers to give them hope that they can reach the Final Four in their second Big 12 season.
Here’s a preview of the Houston Cougars’ upcoming season.
Odds
BetOnline’s opening odds gave the Cougars +1800 odds to win the national title. The Big 12 coaches picked Houston to finish second in the preseason poll, as the Cougars received five first-place votes. Houston was ranked No. 4 in the AP preseason Top 25.
Three Players to Watch
G L.J. Cryer and G Emanuel Sharp: The pair became the shooting tandem that helped keep the Cougars in every game last season, and they’ll be the stars this season, along with the return of Terrance Arceneaux from injury. Cryer averaged 15.5 points and is Houston’s best 3-point shooter while Sharp averaged 12.6 points.
F J’Wan Roberts: Roberts will tandem inside with Ja’Vier Francis, but Roberts is the one with the more dynamic skill set on offense. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last season and likely would have had higher averages if not for nagging injuries.
G Milos Uzan: The Cougars tapped into the transfer portal to get Uzan from Oklahoma, where he started for two years as the Sooners’ point guard. He averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 assists last season. As a freshman he was one of OU’s best 3-point shooters, but the Cougars don’t need him to be Jamal Shead. They just Uzan to be Uzan.
Biggest Strength
Experience. There is plenty of continuity with the Cougars. Aside from losing Shead, the starting lineup is back. Uzan is probably the best possible replacement for the point guard and he’s two years into his college career. Getting Arceneaux back is going to be a significant boost to the backcourt. Roberts and Francis can trade off working the paint and they have been on the floor at the same time effectively. Houston should have injured forward JoJo Tugler back. The chemistry on this team will be baked in. Integrating Uzan shouldn’t be a significant challenge.
Biggest Weakness
Injuries. That is, ultimately, what caught up to Houston in the end. They were able to withstand losing Arceneaux in non-conference. But losing Tugler hurt their depth in the frontcourt. Roberts developed a nagging injury that stayed with him throughout the postseason. Other key players were nursing injuries. Shead’s injury in the Sweet 16 broke their back. As good as this team can bee, it will have a breaking point if the injuries mount.
Season Prediction
Houston has everything it needs to complete for a national championship. The starting lineup is set. The bench is deep. The Cougars even have two Top 100 recruits to tap into if things get desperate. Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point. Houston really only had to make one adjustment during league play last year after back-to-back losses to TCU and Iowa State. This year it’s all about living with a target on their back. The Cougars are good at that. A projection of 25-28 wins going into the Big 12 Tournament seems appropriate.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
