# 2019–20 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by sixth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference. This was the second season that the team played its home games at the Fertitta Center. The AP poll released on January 13th had the Cougars ranked outside the top 25, and to date, it is the most recent poll in which the Cougars were unranked. They have since begun a streak of 102 weeks ranked in the AP Top 25, the 17th longest streak in division 1 men’s college basketball history.

## Previous season

Houston finished the 2018–19 regular season 29–2, including an AAC-best 16–2 record in conference play. They were the runner-up in the American Athletic Conference tournament, falling 69–57 to Cincinnati in the final. The Cougars earned the #3 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, where they went 2–1, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen before falling 62–58 to Kentucky. Houston's final overall season record of 33–4 set a program record for wins.
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2018–19 season, Kelvin Sampson agreed to a six-season contract to remain Head Coach at Houston.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Landon Goesling | 2 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Graduate Student | Bakersfield, CA | Graduated |
| Armoni Brooks | 3 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Round Rock, TX | Play professionally |
| Corey Davis Jr. | 5 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Senior | Lafayette, LA | Graduated |
| Neil VanBeck | 15 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Freshman | Houston, TX | Walk-on; left team |
| Breaon Brady | 24 | F | 6'8" | 260 | Senior | Akron, OH | Graduated |
| Galen Robinson Jr. | 25 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Cameron Tyson | 5 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Sophomore | Bothell, WA | Transferred from Idaho. Under NCAA transfer rules, Tyson has to sit out the 2019–20 season. Tyson will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Quentin Grimes | 24 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Sophomore | The Woodlands, TX | Transferred from Kansas. Grimes was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### Recruiting class of 2020

College recruiting information (2020) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Tramon Mark PG | Dickinson, TX | Dickinson High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 17, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Jamal Shead PG | Manor, TX | Manor High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 27, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Kiyron Powell C | Evansville, IN | Benjamin Bosse High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 27 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 9, 2020. |||||||

### AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on October 14, 2019, with the Cougars tied for first place with the Memphis Tigers. However, the Cougars received more 1st place votes in the poll.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| T-1 | Houston | 113 (7) |
| T-1 | Memphis | 113 (4) |
| 3 | Cincinnati | 94 (1) |
| 4 | Wichita State | 88 |
| 5 | USF | 79 |
| 6 | UConn | 75 |
| 7 | Temple | 72 |
| 8 | SMU | 47 |
| 9 | UCF | 40 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 36 |
| 11 | East Carolina | 20 |
| 12 | Tulane | 15 |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 9, 2019* 5:00 pm | | Angelo State | W 106–42 | 0–0 | 18 – Hinton | 13 – Hinton | 5 – Sasser | Fertitta Center (5,205) Houston, TX |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 12, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Alabama State | W 84–56 | 1–0 | 14 – Sasser | 8 – Hinton | 4 – Tied | Fertitta Center (6,430) Houston, TX |
| November 15, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | BYU | L 71–72 | 1–1 | 17 – Mills | 7 – Hinton | 2 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| November 19, 2019* 7:00 pm, Facebook | | at Rice Rivalry | W 97–89 | 2–1 | 32 – Grimes | 12 – White | 5 – Grimes | Tudor Fieldhouse (2,513) Houston, TX |
| November 22, 2019* 8:00 pm, P12N | | at No. 11 Oregon | L 66–78 | 2–2 | 21 – Mills | 8 – Gresham | 4 – Grimes | Matthew Knight Arena (8,095) Eugene, OR |
| November 26, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Houston Baptist | W 112–73 | 3–2 | 24 – Hinton | 15 – Hinton | 6 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (5,862) Houston, TX |
| December 4, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Texas State | W 68–60 | 4–2 | 21 – Grimes | 12 – Harris Jr. | 3 – Grimes | Fertitta Center (6,461) Houston, TX |
| December 8, 2019* 11:00 am, ESPNU | | at South Carolina American/SEC Alliance | W 76–56 | 5–2 | 24 – Grimes | 11 – Hinton | 4 – Jarreau | Colonial Life Arena (11,164) Columbia, SC |
| December 11, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UT Arlington | W 71–63 | 6–2 | 25 – Hinton | 10 – Hinton | 6 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (6,657) Houston, TX |
| December 15, 2019* 2:00 pm, ESPN | | Oklahoma State | L 55–61 | 6–3 | 23 – Mills | 9 – Hinton | 2 – White | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| December 19, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UTEP Diamond Head Classic non-bracket game | W 77–57 | 7–3 | 17 – Tied | 12 – Gresham | 9 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (6,470) Houston, TX |
| December 22, 2019* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Portland Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals | W 81–56 | 8–3 | 18 – Grimes | 10 – Hinton | 6 – Grimes | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 23, 2019* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Georgia Tech Diamond Head Classic semifinals | W 70–59 | 9–3 | 26 – Grimes | 12 – White Jr. | 3 – Mills | Stan Sheriff Center (5,585) Honolulu, HI |
| December 25, 2019* 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 21 Washington Diamond Head Classic final | W 75–71 | 10–3 | 19 – Tied | 8 – Hinton | 6 – Grimes | Stan Sheriff Center (6,356) Honolulu, HI |
| AAC regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | UCF | W 78–63 | 11–3 (1–0) | 20 – Hinton | 16 – Hinton | 4 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 7, 2020 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Temple | W 78–74 | 12–3 (2–0) | 23 – Mills | 13 – Hinton | 5 – Tied | Liacouras Center (4,366) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 11, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Tulsa | L 61–63 | 12–4 (2–1) | 22 – Mills | 10 – Hinton | 3 – Hinton | Reynolds Center (3,725) Tulsa, OK |
| January 15, 2020 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | SMU Rivalry | W 71–62 | 13–4 (3–1) | 17 – White Jr. | 10 – White Jr. | 3 – Grimes | Fertitta Center (6,584) Houston, TX |
| January 18, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 16 Wichita State | W 65–54 | 14–4 (4–1) | 14 – White Jr. | 10 – Jarreau | 6 – Jarreau | Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS |
| January 23, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 25 | UConn | W 63–59 | 15–4 (5–1) | 20 – Mills | 11 – Jarreau | 8 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 26, 2020 1:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 25 | South Florida | W 68–49 | 16–4 (6–1) | 12 – Jarreau | 8 – Harris Jr. | 6 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (6,364) Houston, TX |
| January 29, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 21 | at East Carolina | W 69–59 | 17–4 (7–1) | 18 – Mills | 10 – Harris Jr. | 6 – Mills | Williams Arena (4,406) Greenville, NC |
| February 1, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 | at Cincinnati | L 62–64 | 17–5 (7–2) | 17 – Sasser | 8 – Hinton | 6 – Jarreau | Fifth Third Arena (12,189) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 6, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 25 | Tulane | W 75–62 | 18–5 (8–2) | 18 – Mills | 12 – Hinton | 7 – Hinton | Fertitta Center (6,430) Houston, TX |
| February 9, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 25 | Wichita State | W 76–43 | 19–5 (9–2) | 14 – Grimes | 9 – Hinton | 5 – Grimes | Fertitta Center (7,135) Houston, TX |
| February 12, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 20 | at South Florida | W 62–58 | 20–5 (10–2) | 22 – Grimes | 7 – Harris Jr. | 5 – Tied | Yuengling Center (4,548) Tampa, FL |
| February 15, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 20 | at SMU Rivalry | L 72–73 $^{OT}$ | 20–6 (10–3) | 26 – Sasser | 10 – Harris Jr. | 4 – Hinton | Moody Coliseum (5,534) Dallas, TX |
| February 19, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN2/ESPNU | No. 22 | Tulsa | W 76–43 | 21–6 (11–3) | 27 – Mills | 7 – White Jr. | 6 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (6,732) Houston, TX |
| February 22, 2020 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | at Memphis | L 59–60 | 21–7 (11–4) | 21 – Mills | 12 – Hinton | 3 – Tied | FedExForum (17,735) Memphis, TN |
| March 1, 2020 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 25 | Cincinnati | W 68–55 | 22–7 (12–4) | 21 – Sasser | 11 – Harris Jr. | 4 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (7,096) Houston, TX |
| March 5, 2020 6:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 21 | at UConn | L 71–77 | 22–8 (12–5) | 24 – Grimes | 6 – Tied | 6 – Sasser | Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT |
| March 8, 2020 11:00 am, CBS | No. 21 | Memphis | W 64–57 | 23–8 (13–5) | 18 – White Jr. | 14 – White Jr. | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,129) Houston, TX |
| AAC Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2020 6:30 pm, ESPNU | (2) No. 22 | vs. (7) SMU / (10) Temple Quarterfinals | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
    1.^ Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 22-T | 22 |
| Coaches | RV | RV* | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 20 | 25 | 19 | 22 | RV | 21 | 24 | 23 |
*Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll

## Awards and honors
### American Athletic Conference honors
#### All-AAC Second Team

* Nate Hinton
* Caleb Mills

#### All Freshman Team

* Caleb Mills

#### Player of the Week

* Week 5: Quentin Grimes
* Week 8: Fabian White Jr.

#### Rookie of the Week

* Week 6: Caleb Mills
* Week 12: Caleb Mills
* Week 17: Marcus Sasser
Source