Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Houston (Projected: 1st in Big 12)
Kelvin Sampson has built up Houston into a national power over the course of his 10 seasons with the program, finishing as the #2 team in KenPom for the last three seasons. His squad for 2024-25 returns a large portion of the roster and should once again contend to be the top team in the country. The question this year will be if the Cougars can avoid the bad breaks and finally breakthrough in the NCAA Tournament, having appeared in five straight Sweet 16s, but reaching just one Final Four in that time frame.
Before we get into the roster for 2024-25, let’s cover the two guys who left the program this offseason. Jamal Shead (13 ppg, 4 rpg, 6 apg) was a four-year Cougar, one of the most impactful players on both ends of the floor across the country last season, and the man whose injury in the Sweet 16 against Duke resulted in the team’s fall last spring. He will be a very difficult player to replace, but thankfully for Kelvin Sampson he has an absurd number of returners and could do so by committee. Damian Dunn (6 ppg) also left the program after spending one year at Houston, transferring to Pitt in the offseason.
LJ Cryer (16 ppg) and Emanuel Sharp (13 ppg, 4 rpg) started alongside Shead in the backcourt last season, and they’ll become even more important to this team with Shead’s departure. Cryer transferred in from Baylor last offseason, leading the Cougars in scoring as an efficient shooter from all three levels. Sharp broke into the starting lineup last season as a sophomore, getting better and better as the season went on, including a 30-point game in the NCAA Tournament vs Texas A&M. Cryer and Sharp will be counted on to do most of the scoring for this team, and I think they’re well up for the task.
The starting frontcourt for the Cougars also returns, with J’Wan Roberts (10 ppg, 7 rpg) and Ja’Vier Francis (6 ppg, 5 rpg) back in the lineup. Roberts is one of the best defenders and rebounders in the country, a perfect fit for Sampson’s style and an extremely integral piece to the Cougars’ success over the last two seasons. Francis is the perfect guy to place next to Roberts, another guy that will bang around in the paint for Sampson and crash the glass to provide more looks for Cryer and Sharp. There isn’t a better defensive frontcourt in the country, and there aren’t many that come close to the duo of Roberts and Francis.
The Cougars bench will be made up almost entirely of returning players, all of whom have proven to be impactful, winning players. Terrance Arceneaux (6 ppg, 5 rpg) was a guy many people thought would breakout last year for the Cougars, but he went down with an injury 11 games into the season and the Cougars’ depth was never quite the same after that. If he returns to pre-injury form, he will be one of the best wing defenders in the country and is another guy who crashes the glass hard on both ends of the court. Mylik Wilson (4 ppg, 4 rpg) was a solid bench piece for the Cougars this season, likely to see a similar role as a contributor in the backcourt. Joseph Tugler (4 ppg, 4 rpg) had an impact on the frontcourt rotation as a freshman, and hopefully even more impactful as a sophomore, he forms a three-headed monster in the frontcourt alongside Roberts and Francis. Filling out the bench is Ramon Walker Jr. (2 ppg), Cedric Lath (1 rpg), Jacob McFarland (Redshirt), and Kordelius Jefferson (Redshirt), but with the guys ahead of them, it’s unclear if they’ll have a big impact on the 2024-25 season.
Kelvin Sampson showed trust in his guys and his style this offseason, grabbing just one transfer out of the portal this offseason. The lone pickup should have a big impact for this team, likely filling in the open point guard position left by the departure of Jamal Shead. Milos Uzan (9 ppg, 4 apg at Oklahoma) played against the Cougars in the Big 12 last season, a traditional point guard who will spread the wealth on offense and be a solid on-ball defender. It’s impossible to replace what Jamal Shead did for the Cougars, but I think the addition of Uzan gives Sampson a battle-tested point guard that still has his basketball ahead of him.
Two freshmen fill out the roster for the Cougars, with Mercy Miller (4*, NAT 42) and Chase McCarty (4*, NAT 76) joining the ranks. Miller is a talented three-level scorer, a guy that could see time as a freshman, especially if the Cougars are looking for more scoring behind Cryer and Sharp. McCarty is a physical wing standing at 6-5, proving a bit of scoring himself, and a guy who will likely develop into an outstanding defender under Sampson.
The Cougars are one of the best coached teams in the country under Kelvin Sampson, and it’s only a matter of time before they break through and claim a national title. This year’s team fits Sampson’s style wonderfully, and the lone question surrounding the team will be if they can replace Jamal Shead. I trust Sampson to figure out what works best in the backcourt, and the talent doesn’t lack in that department, with options including Cryer, Sharp, Miller, Arceneaux, McCarty and Wilson.
Returning four of your five starters from a team that earned a one seed is usually a good recipe for success, and the Cougars did exactly that. The lone starter out is Jamal Shead, an irreplaceable player, but whose role will likely fall into the lap of Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan. For obvious reasons, this leads Uzan to be my X-factor for the Cougars, and if he fits into his role, the Cougars should be the team to beat in college basketball in 2024-25.
The Big 12 is an absolute gauntlet, and I think the Cougars stand at the top of the pile of talented teams. Houston, Kansas, and Iowa State are all extremely talented and coached by some of the game’s best, but when you have the recent consistency of the Cougars combined with seven returning players from last season’s rotation, I have to buy in. I’ve got the Cougars finishing 1st in the Big 12 and claiming the #1 spot in my preseason rankings.