# 2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by seventh-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference. It was the third season that the team played its home games at the Fertitta Center. They won their first ever AAC tournament to clinch an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament, where they were selected as a #2 seed in the Midwest Region. The team advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1984. They eventually lost to Baylor in the Final Four who went on to become the national champions that season.

## Previous season

Houston finished the 2019–20 regular season 23–8, 13–5 in AAC play, finishing tied for first place and winning a share of the regular season title. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Chris Harris Jr. | 1 | C | 6'10" | 255 | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |
| Nate Hinton | 11 | G | 6'5" | 210 | Sophomore | Gastonia, NC | Play professionally |
| Cedrick Alley Jr. | 23 | F | 6'6" | 225 | RS Sophomore | Houston, TX | Transferred to UTSA |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Reggie Chaney | F | 6'8" | 225 | Junior | Tulsa, OK | Transferred from Arkansas. Chaney was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Initially had two years of remaining eligibility, but automatically received a third year after the NCAA ruled that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the eligibility of any basketball player. |

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| 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. ||||||
Houston also added preferred walk-on Ryan Elvin, a 6'0" point guard from Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock, Texas.

### 2021 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2021) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ramon Walker SF | Pearland, TX | Shadow Creek High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | May 20, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Robbie Armbrester PF | Atlanta, GA | Wasatch Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Ja'Vier Francis C | Montverde, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Sep 27, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 29 |||||||
| 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: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020. |||||||

## Preseason
### AAC preseason media poll

On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards
Coaches Poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Houston | 99 (9) |
| 2 | Memphis | 90 (2) |
| 3 | SMU | 80 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 77 |
| 5 | South Florida | 61 |
| 6 | Tulsa | 50 |
| 7 | Wichita State | 44 |
| 8 | UCF | 37 |
| 9 | East Carolina | 34 |
| 10 | Temple | 18 |
| 11 | Tulane | 15 |

### Preseason Awards

* AAC Preseason Player of the Year - Caleb Mills
* All-AAC First Team - Caleb Mills

## Roster

* May 27, 2020 – Fabian White Jr. suffered a torn ACL, leading him to sit out before returning for the February 18th game.
* January 5, 2021 – Caleb Mills entered the transfer portal. Mills would eventually transfer to Florida State.

## Schedule and results
### COVID-19 impact

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.
* The Cougars began a home-and-home series with LSU and Alabama beginning in the 2020–2021. Both were eventually postponed due to the pandemic.
* Houston added a game vs. Our Lady of the Lake on February 6.
* The game @ Cincinnati originally scheduled for February 21 was moved to Houston.
* Houston added a game vs. Western Kentucky on February 25.
* The game @ Memphis originally scheduled for March 7 was moved to Houston, after COVID-related issues with Memphis forced the first scheduled matchup between the teams scheduled for February 14 to be postponed.

### Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 17 | Lamar | W 89–45 | 1–0 | 25 – Sasser | 8 – Mark | 4 – Grimes | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| November 27, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 17 | Boise State Southwest Showcase | W 68–58 | 2–0 | 25 – Grimes | 14 – Roberts | 2 – Sasser | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| November 29, 2020* 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | vs. No. 14 Texas Tech Southwest Showcase | W 64–53 | 3–0 | 17 – Sasser | 9 – Jarreau | 5 – Jarreau | Dickies Arena (3,568) Fort Worth, TX |
| December 5, 2020* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 10 | South Carolina American/SEC Alliance | W 77–67 | 4–0 | 23 – Grimes | 8 – Jarreau | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| December 9, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 7 | Sam Houston State | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| December 12, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 7 | Rice | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| December 20, 2020* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 6 | Alcorn State | W 88–55 | 5–0 | 27 – Grimes | 15 – Gorham | 7 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| December 22, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 6 | Temple | W 76–50 | 6–0 (1–0) | 22 – Grimes | 12 – Gorham | 4 – Tied | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| December 26, 2020 12:00 p.m., ABC | No. 6 | at UCF Previously scheduled for Dec. 15 | W 63–54 | 7–0 (2–0) | 19 – Sasser | 5 – Tied | 5 – Jarreau | Addition Financial Arena (1,476) Orlando, FL |
| December 29, 2020 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at Tulsa | L 64–65 | 7–1 (2–1) | 19 – Grimes | 7 – Grimes | 4 – Grimes | Reynolds Center Tulsa, OK |
| January 3, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at SMU Rivalry | W 74–60 | 8–1 (3–1) | 17 – Sasser | 19 – Gorham | 5 – Jarreau | Moody Coliseum University Park, TX |
| January 6, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 11 | Wichita State | W 70–63 | 9–1 (4–1) | 22 – Grimes | 10 – Tied | 5 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| January 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 11 | Tulane | W 71–50 | 10–1 (5–1) | 28 – Sasser | 11 – Gorham | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| January 17, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 11 | UCF | W 75–58 | 11–1 (6–1) | 18 – Grimes | 9 – Gorham | 5 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| January 20, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 8 | Tulsa | W 86–59 | 12–1 (7–1) | 26 – Sasser | 11 – Gorham | 5 – Tied | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| January 23, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 8 | Cincinnati | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| January 23, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 8 | at Temple Previously scheduled for Feb. 8 | W 68–51 | 13–1 (8–1) | 15 – Tied | 10 – Gorham | 6 – Jarreau | Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA |
| January 28, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | at Tulane | W 83–60 | 14–1 (9–1) | 31 – Tyson | 15 – Gorham | 4 – Tied | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA |
| January 31, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | SMU Rivalry | W 70–48 | 15–1 (10–1) | 19 – Sasser | 17 – Gorham | 5 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (1,728) Houston, TX |
| February 3, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5 | at East Carolina | L 73–82 | 15–2 (10–2) | 25 – Jarreau | 11 – Gorham | 5 – Jarreau | Williams Arena (78) Greenville, NC |
| February 6, 2021* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5 | Our Lady of the Lake | W 112–46 | 16–2 (10–2) | 32 – Tyson | 12 – Powell | 11 – Shead | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| February 10, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | at South Florida Previously scheduled for Jan. 14 | W 82–65 | 17–2 (11–2) | 29 – Grimes | 8 – Gorham | 8 – Jarreau | Yuengling Center (629) Tampa, FL |
| February 14, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 8 | Memphis | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| February 17, 2021 ESPN+ | No. 6 | East Carolina | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | at Wichita State Previously scheduled for Feb. 25 | L 63–68 | 17–3 (11–3) | 16 – Jarreau | 7 – Gorham | 3 – Jarreau | Charles Koch Arena (2,625) Wichita, KS |
| February 21, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | Cincinnati | W 90–52 | 18–3 (12–3) | 20 – Grimes | 9 – White Jr. | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| February 25, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | Western Kentucky | W 81–57 | 19–3 | 33 – Grimes | 8 – Gorham | 5 – Gorham | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| February 28, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 12 | South Florida | W 98–52 | 20–3 (13–3) | 22 – Grimes | 8 – Jarreau | 7 – Sasser | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| March 7, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 9 | Memphis | W 67–64 | 21–3 (14–3) | 19 – Jarreau | 12 – Gorham | 3 – Jarreau | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| AAC Tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (2) No. 7 | vs. (10) Tulane Quarterfinals | W 77–52 | 22–3 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Jarreau | 10 – Jarreau | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 13, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (2) No. 7 | vs. (3) Memphis Semifinals | W 76–74 | 23–3 | 21 – Grimes | 7 – Gorham | 3 – Jarreau | Dickies Arena (1,182) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 14, 2021 2:15 p.m., ESPN | (2) No. 7 | vs. (5) Cincinnati Championship | W 91–54 | 24–3 | 21 – Grimes | 6 – White Jr. | 7 – Tied | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 19, 2021 6:15 p.m., truTV | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (15 MW) Cleveland State First Round | W 87–56 | 25–3 | 18 – Grimes | 7 – Chaney | 4 – Grimes | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| March 21, 2021 6:10 p.m., TBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (10 MW) Rutgers Second Round | W 63–60 | 26–3 | 22 – Grimes | 9 – Grimes | 4 – Gorham | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN |
| March 27, 2021 9:00 p.m., TBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (11 MW) Syracuse Sweet Sixteen | W 62–46 | 27–3 | 14 – Grimes | 10 – Gorham | 8 – Jarreau | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| March 29, 2021 6:15 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (12 MW) Oregon State Elite Eight | W 67–61 | 28–3 | 20 – Sasser | 10 – Gorham | 8 – Jarreau | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN |
| April 3, 2021 4:14 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (1 S) No. 3 Baylor Final Four | L 59–78 | 28–4 | 20 – Sasser | 6 – Gorham | 3 – Gorham | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 17 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | Not released |
| Coaches | 18T | 18T^ | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5T | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll

## Awards and honors
### All-American

* Quentin Grimes – AP (3rd), USBWA (3rd), NABC (3rd), SN (3rd)

### John McLendon Award

* Kelvin Sampson

### American Athletic Conference honors
#### All-AAC Awards

* Player of the Year: Quentin Grimes
* Defensive Player of the Year: DeJon Jarreau
* Most Improved Player: Justin Gorham

#### All-AAC First Team

* Quentin Grimes

#### All-AAC Second Team

* DeJon Jarreau
* Justin Gorham
* Marcus Sasser
Source