# 2024–25 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars are led by 11th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team plays their home games at the Fertitta Center as second-year members of the Big 12 Conference.
With a win over Cincinnati on March 1, 2025, the Cougars clinched their second straight outright Big 12 regular season conference championship.

## Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2023–24 season 28–3, 15–3 in Big 12 play to win the regular season championship in their first year in the conference. They defeated TCU and Texas Tech to advance to the Big 12 tournament championship game where they lost to Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the South Regional. They defeated Longwood in the First Round and Texas A&M in overtime in the Second Round to advance to their fifth consecutive Sweet Sixteen. There they were defeated by Duke after losing starting point guard, Jamal Shead, to an ankle sprain during the game.

## Offseason
### Departing players

Houston Departing Players :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Jamal Shead | 1 | G | 6'1" | 200 | Senior | Manor, TX | Graduated/declared for the 2024 NBA draft; selected 45th overall by the Sacramento Kings |
| Damian Dunn | 11 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Senior | Kinston, NC | Graduated; transferred to Pittsburgh |
| Ryan Elvin | 20 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Senior | Round Rock, TX | Walk-on; graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Houston Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Milos Uzan | 7 | G | 6'4" | 193 | Junior | Las Vegas, NV | Oklahoma |

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mercy Miller CG | Sherman Oaks, CA | Notre Dame High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 30, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Chase McCarty SF | Huntsville, AL | IMG Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 13, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 45 ||||||
| 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: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024. ||||||

## Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll
| | Big 12 Coaches | Points |
| 1. | Kansas | 215 (9) |
| 2. | Houston | 211 (5) |
| 3. | Iowa State | 194 (1) |
| 4. | Baylor | 185 |
| 5. | Arizona | 179 (1) |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 140 |
| 7. | Texas Tech | 135 |
| 8. | Kansas State | 133 |
| 9. | BYU | 116 |
| 10. | TCU | 90 |
| 11. | UCF | 83 |
| 12. | Arizona State | 64 |
| 13. | West Virginia | 62 |
| 14. | Oklahoma State | 46 |
| 15. | Colorado | 37 |
| 16. | Utah | 30 |
| Reference: (#) first-place votes |||
Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

### First Team

| Player | School |
| Caleb Love | Arizona |
| LJ Cryer | Houston |
| J’Wan Roberts | Houston |
| Tamin Lipsey | Iowa State |
| Hunter Dickinson† | Kansas |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||

### Second Team

| Player | School |
| Norchad Omier | Baylor |
| Jeremy Roach | Baylor |
| Keshon Gilbert | Iowa State |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. | Kansas |
| Coleman Hawkins | Kansas State |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||
* Player of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
* Co-Newcomer of the Year: Jeremy Roach, Baylor & Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
* Freshman of the Year: V. J. Edgecombe, Baylor

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 4 | No. 13 Texas A&M | W 79–64 | − | 18 – Cryer | 9 – Tugler | 4 – Wilson | Fertitta Center (5,981) Houston, TX |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 4 | Jackson State | W 97−40 | 1−0 | 16 – Cryer | 7 – Tied | 10 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| November 9, 2024* 8:30 p.m., ESPNU | No. 4 | vs. No. 11 Auburn The Battleground 2k24 | L 69–74 | 1–1 | 13 – Tied | 7 – Roberts | 4 – Uzan | Toyota Center (6,901) Houston, TX |
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 8 | Louisiana | W 91–45 | 2–1 | 14 – Arceneaux | 6 – Roberts | 5 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| November 22, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 7 | Hofstra | W 80–44 | 3–1 | 17 – Tugler | 9 – Miller | 6 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| November 26, 2024* 7:00 p.m., TBS | No. 6 | vs. No. 9 Alabama Players Era Festival Impact Tournament | L 80–85 $^{OT}$ | 3–2 | 30 – Cryer | 8 – Tugler | 2 – Tied | MGM Grand Garden Arena (7,602) Paradise, NV |
| November 27, 2024* 11:30 p.m., TBS | No. 6 | vs. Notre Dame Players Era Festival Impact Tournament | W 65–54 | 4–2 | 17 – Sharp | 8 – Roberts | 9 – Uzan | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 30, 2024* 6:00 p.m., TNT/TruTV | No. 6 | vs. San Diego State Players Era Festival 3rd place game | L 70–73 $^{OT}$ | 4–3 | 23 – Sharp | 12 – Roberts | 3 – Tied | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV |
| December 7, 2024* 4:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 17 | Butler Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 79–51 | 5–3 | 20 – Cryer | 12 – Roberts | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| December 10, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Troy | W 62–42 | 6–3 | 22 – Cryer | 9 – Roberts | 5 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| December 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Toledo | W 78–49 | 7–3 | 16 – Arceneaux | 9 – Arceneaux | 4 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| December 21, 2024* 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 15 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | W 87–51 | 8–3 | 18 – Sharp | 11 – Wilson | 6 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | at Oklahoma State | W 60–47 | 9–3 (1–0) | 20 – Roberts | 11 – Roberts | 4 – Uzan | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,365) Stillwater, OK |
| January 4, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | BYU | W 86–55 | 10–3 (2–0) | 18 – Sharp | 6 – Tied | 8 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 6, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | TCU | W 65–46 | 11–3 (3–0) | 14 – Sharp | 6 – Tugler | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 11, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | at Kansas State | W 87–57 | 12–3 (4–0) | 15 – Sharp | 10 – Tugler | 3 – Roberts | Bramlage Coliseum (8,332) Manhattan, KS |
| January 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 10 | West Virginia | W 70–54 | 13–3 (5–0) | 22 – Roberts | 7 – Uzan | 4 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 18, 2025 11:00 a.m., CBSSN | No. 10 | at UCF | W 69–68 | 14–3 (6–0) | 21 – Roberts | 10 – Francis | 5 – Uzan | Addition Financial Arena (9,014) Orlando, FL |
| January 22, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 7 | Utah | W 70–36 | 15–3 (7–0) | 14 – Uzan | 7 – Wilson | 5 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 25, 2025 5:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | at No. 12 Kansas | W 92–86 $^{2OT}$ | 16–3 (8–0) | 24 – Roberts | 9 – Tied | 9 – Uzan | Allen Fieldhouse (15,300) Lawrence, KS |
| January 29, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 6 | at West Virginia | W 63–49 | 17–3 (9–0) | 17 – Cryer | 7 – Tugler | 3 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (12,083) Morgantown, WV |
| February 1, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | No. 22 Texas Tech | L 81–82 $^{OT}$ | 17–4 (9–1) | 22 – Cryer | 8 – Tugler | 3 – Roberts | Fertitta Center (7,324) Houston, TX |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5 | Oklahoma State | W 72–63 | 18–4 (10–1) | 18 – Cryer | 10 – Roberts | 6 – Arceneaux | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| February 8, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5 | at Colorado | W 69–59 | 19–4 (11–1) | 20 – Roberts | 10 – Tugler | 3 – Tied | CU Events Center (7,485) Boulder, CO |
| February 10, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | Baylor | W 76–65 | 20–4 (12–1) | 14 – Cryer | 8 – Tugler | 6 – Uzan | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| February 15, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | at No. 13 Arizona | W 62–58 | 21–4 (13–1) | 19 – Uzan | 7 – Francis | 5 – Uzan | McKale Center (14,688) Tucson, AZ |
| February 18, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at Arizona State | W 80–65 | 22–4 (14–1) | 18 – Cryer | 7 – Wilson | 6 – Cryer | Desert Financial Arena (8,315) Tempe, AZ |
| February 22, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | No. 8 Iowa State College GameDay | W 68–59 | 23–4 (15–1) | 28 – Cryer | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,377) Houston, TX |
| February 24, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 10 Texas Tech | W 69–61 | 24–4 (16–1) | 22 – Uzan | 7 – Roberts | 3 – Tied | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| March 1, 2025 3:30 p.m., CBS | No. 4 | Cincinnati | W 73–64 | 25–4 (17–1) | 20 – Cryer | 6 – Francis | 3 – Tugler | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| March 3, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 | Kansas | W 65–59 | 26–4 (18–1) | 22 – Cryer | 8 – Tugler | 6 – Wilson | Fertitta Center (7,231) Houston, TX |
| March 8, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 | at Baylor | W 65–61 | 27–4 (19–1) | 23 – Cryer | 10 – Roberts | 3 – Uzan | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) No. 2 | vs. (16) Colorado Quarterfinals | W 77–68 | 28–4 | 19 – Sharp | 9 – Tugler | 2 – Wilson | T-Mobile Center (15,366) Kansas City, MO |
| March 14, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) No. 2 | vs. (4) No. 17 BYU Semifinals | W 74–54 | 29–4 | 26 – Sharp | 13 – Wilson | 5 – Uzan | T-Mobile Center (13,946) Kansas City, MO |
| March 15, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 2 | vs. (3) Arizona Championship | W 72–64 | 30–4 | 25 – Uzan | 7 – Tied | 4 – Uzan | T-Mobile Center (13,768) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2025* 1:00 p.m., TBS | (1 MW) No. 2 | vs. (16 MW) SIU Edwardsville First Round | | | | | | Intrust Bank Arena Wichita, KS |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest region. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | 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 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 4 (4) | 8 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 (5) | 2 (6) | |
| Coaches | 4 (4) | 10 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | |