# 2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by eighth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team played their home games at the Fertitta Center as members of the American Athletic Conference.
Houston finished its 2021–22 regular season with an overall record of 26–5. They were regular-season champions of the American Conference with a record of 15–3 in conference play. They entered the conference tournament as the #1 seed and proceeded to win the tournament, defeating Memphis 71–53 in the final. The Cougars entered the NCAA tournament as the #5 seed in the South Regional. Houston went 3–1 in the tournament, reaching the Elite Eight before falling 44–50 to Villanova in the regional final.
Houston finished the season with a record of 32–6 and a ranking of #7 in the final Coaches Poll.

## Previous season

Houston finished the 2020–21 regular season 21–3, 14–3 in AAC play, finishing in second place for the regular season. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the AAC tournament, which the Cougars would go on to win for the first time to clinch an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. They were selected as a #2 seed in the Midwest Region. The team advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1984, where they lost to eventual national champions Baylor.

## Offseason
### Departing players

Houston departing players :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Caleb Mills | 2 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Arden, NC | Transferred to Florida State (mid-season) |
| DeJon Jarreau | 3 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Senior | New Orleans, LA | Graduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Justin Gorham | 4 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Senior | Baltimore, MD | Graduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Cameron Tyson | 5 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Sophomore | Bothell, WA | Transferred to Seattle |
| Quentin Grimes | 24 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Junior | The Woodlands, TX | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers |
| Brison Gresham | 55 | F/C | 6'8" | 230 | Senior | New Orleans, LA | Graduate transferred to Texas Southern |
* 1 2 For the 2021 draft only, the NBA and its players union agreed that seniors would have to declare themselves eligible for the draft. This was an aftereffect of the NCAA's announcement that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any participant in the organization's winter sports, including basketball. This in turn meant that every senior in the 2020–21 season had remaining eligibility.

### Incoming transfers

Houston incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school | Years remaining | Date eligible |
| Tazé Moore | 4 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Graduate student | Southaven, MS | CSU Bakersfield | 1 | October 1, 2021 |
| Kyler Edwards | 11 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Senior | Arlington, TX | Texas Tech | 2 | October 1, 2021 |
| Josh Carlton | 25 | F/C | 6'10" | 245 | Graduate student | Winterville, NC | UConn | 1 | October 1, 2021 |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ramon Walker Jr. 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 | New Orleans, LA | 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. ||||||

### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Emanuel Sharp SG | Tampa, FL | Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | May 13, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Terrance Arceneaux SF | Beaumont, TX | Beaumont United High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 17, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Jarace Walker PF / SF | New Freedom, PA | IMG Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 4, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 92 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 12 |||||||
| 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: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021. |||||||

## Preseason
### AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason poll and other preseason awards.
Coaches Poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Houston | 98 (8) |
| 2 | Memphis | 92 (3) |
| 3 | SMU | 77 |
| 4 | Wichita State | 76 |
| 5 | UCF | 66 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 52 |
| 7 | Tulsa | 43 |
| 8 | Temple | 37 |
| T-9 | South Florida | 25 |
| T-9 | Tulane | 25 |
| 11 | East Carolina | 14 |

### Preseason awards

* All-AAC First Team – Marcus Sasser

## Roster

* December 22, 2021 – Tramon Mark had shoulder surgery, leading him to miss the rest of the season.
* December 24, 2021 – Marcus Sasser announced he would miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 6, 2021* 3:00 p.m. | No. 15 | Montana Tech | W 78–51 | | 21 – Sasser | 9 – White Jr. | 7 – Shead | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Hofstra | W 83–75 $^{OT}$ | 1–0 | 25 – Sasser | 15 – Roberts | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (6,883) Houston, TX |
| November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Rice Rivalry | W 79–46 | 2–0 | 26 – Sasser | 9 – Roberts | 5 – Sasser | Fertitta Center (6,967) Houston, TX |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 15 | Virginia | W 67–47 | 3–0 | 19 – Sasser | 8 – White Jr. | 4 – Sasser | Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX |
| November 22, 2021* 3:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | vs. Butler Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinal | W 70–52 | 4–0 | 21 – White Jr. | 8 – White Jr. | 4 – Edwards | Michelob Ultra Arena (2,937) Paradise, NV |
| November 23, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 12 | vs. Wisconsin Maui Invitational Tournament semifinal | L 63–65 | 4–1 | 18 – Edwards | 6 – Roberts | 5 – Shead | Michelob Ultra Arena (3,391) Paradise, NV |
| November 24, 2021* 1:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | vs. Oregon Maui Invitational Tournament 3rd-place game | W 78–49 | 5–1 | 15 – White Jr. | 7 – White Jr. | 6 – Shead | Michelob Ultra Arena (2,901) Paradise, NV |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Northwestern State | W 99–58 | 6–1 | 26 – Sasser | 8 – White Jr. | 9 – Shead | Fertitta Center (6,639) Houston, TX |
| December 3, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Bryant | W 111–44 | 7–1 | 22 – Mark | 12 – Roberts | 4 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX |
| December 6, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | Alcorn State | W 77–45 | 8–1 | 18 – Mark | 7 – Edwards | 11 – Shead | Fertitta Center (6,649) Houston, TX |
| December 11, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | at No. 9 Alabama | L 82–83 | 8–2 | 25 – Sasser | 13 – Roberts | 3 – Shead | Coleman Coliseum (10,613) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | Louisiana | W 71–56 | 9–2 | 17 – Carlton | 10 – Moore | 5 – Shead | Fertitta Center (6,955) Houston, TX |
| December 18, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 14 | vs. Oklahoma State Hoop Hype XL College Basketball Showcase | W 72–61 | 10–2 | 18 – Shead | 11 – Carlton | 8 – Shead | Dickies Arena (1,800) Fort Worth, TX |
| December 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 13 | Texas State | W 80–47 | 11–2 | 20 – Carlton | 5 – Tied | 10 – Shead | Fertitta Center (7,488) Houston, TX |
| AAC regular season |||||||||
| January 2, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 12 | at Temple | W 66–61 | 12–2 (1–0) | 15 – White Jr. | 14 – White Jr. | 6 – Shead | Liacouras Center (3,229) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 5, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | at South Florida | W 83–66 | 13–2 (2–0) | 30 – Carlton | 11 – Carlton | 8 – Edwards | Yuengling Center (2,291) Tampa, FL |
| January 8, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 12 | Wichita State | W 76–66 | 14–2 (3–0) | 22 – Carlton | 12 – Carlton | 7 – Shead | Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX |
| January 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 11 | at Tulsa | W 66–64 | 15–2 (4–0) | 29 – Edwards | 11 – Moore | 3 – Edwards | Reynolds Center (3,349) Tulsa, OK |
| January 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 10 | South Florida | W 74–55 | 16–2 (5–0) | 23 – Edwards | 7 – Edwards | 5 – Shead | Fertitta Center (6,959) Houston, TX |
| January 22, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 10 | East Carolina | W 79–36 | 17–2 (6–0) | 25 – Edwards | 9 – Carlton | 7 – Edwards | Fertitta Center (7,287) Houston, TX |
| January 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 7 | at UCF | W 63–49 | 18–2 (7–0) | 17 – Edwards | 15 – Carlton | 4 – Edwards | Addition Financial Arena (8,142) Orlando, FL |
| February 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 6 | Tulane | W 73–62 | 19–2 (8–0) | 21 – White Jr. | 9 – Carlton | 6 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,312) Houston, TX |
| February 6, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | at Cincinnati | W 80–58 | 20–2 (9–0) | 22 – White Jr. | 9 – White Jr. | 6 – Shead | Fifth Third Arena (11,742) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 9, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | at SMU Rivalry | L 83–85 | 20–3 (9–1) | 17 – Tied | 13 – White Jr. | 12 – Shead | Moody Coliseum (5,247) University Park, TX |
| February 12, 2022 2:30 p.m., ABC | No. 6 | Memphis | L 59–69 | 20–4 (9–2) | 15 – Tied | 8 – Moore | 4 – Moore | Fertitta Center (7,450) Houston, TX |
| February 17, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | UCF | W 70–52 | 21–4 (10–2) | 14 – Moore | 10 – Carlton | 8 – Shead | Fertitta Center (6,957) Houston, TX |
| February 20, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 14 | at Wichita State | W 76–74 $^{2OT}$ | 22–4 (11–2) | 23 – Carlton | 11 – Carlton | 9 – Shead | Charles Koch Arena (9,070) Wichita, KS |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | at Tulane | W 81–67 | 23–4 (12–2) | 21 – Edwards | 11 – Roberts | 7 – Shead | Devlin Fieldhouse (2,707) New Orleans, LA |
| February 27, 2022 11:30 a.m., ESPN | No. 14 | SMU Rivalry | W 75–61 | 24–4 (13–2) | 21 – White Jr. | 9 – White Jr. | 11 – Shead | Fertitta Center (7,603) Houston, TX |
| March 1, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 14 | Cincinnati Previously scheduled for Dec. 28 | W 71–53 | 25–4 (14–2) | 28 – White Jr. | 10 – White Jr. | 4 – Edwards | Fertitta Center (7,598) Houston, TX |
| March 3, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | Temple | W 84–46 | 26–4 (15–2) | 26 – White Jr. | 8 – Carlton | 13 – Shead | Fertitta Center (7,562) Houston, TX |
| March 6, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 14 | at Memphis | L 61–75 | 26–5 (15–3) | 19 – Edwards | 7 – Edwards | 8 – Shead | FedExForum (17,946) Memphis, TN |
| AAC tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) No. 18 | vs. (8) Cincinnati Quarterfinals | W 69–56 | 27–5 | 18 – White Jr. | 8 – White Jr. | 7 – Shead | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 12, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) No. 18 | vs. (5) Tulane Semifinals | W 86–66 | 28–5 | 20 – Edwards | 13 – Roberts | 8 – Edwards | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 13, 2022 2:15 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 18 | vs. (3) Memphis Championship | W 71–53 | 29–5 | 20 – White Jr. | 11 – Edwards | 8 – Moore | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 18, 2022* 8:40 p.m., TNT | (5 S) No. 15 | vs. (12 S) UAB First Round | W 82–68 | 30–5 | 25 – Edwards | 7 – Edwards | 7 – Shead | PPG Paints Arena (17,410) Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 20, 2022* 11:10 a.m., CBS | (5 S) No. 15 | vs. (4 S) No. 19 Illinois Second Round | W 68–53 | 31–5 | 21 – Moore | 7 – Tied | 4 – Edwards | PPG Paints Arena (18,506) Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 24, 2022* 8:55 p.m., TBS | (5 S) No. 15 | vs. (1 S) No. 2 Arizona Sweet Sixteen | W 72–60 | 32–5 | 21 – Shead | 7 – Carlton | 6 – Shead | AT&T Center (17,357) San Antonio, TX |
| March 26, 2022* 5:09 p.m., TBS | (5 S) No. 15 | vs. (2 S) No. 6 Villanova Elite Eight | L 44–50 | 32–6 | 15 – Moore | 10 – Moore | 4 – Edwards | AT&T Center (17,186) San Antonio, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## 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 | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 7т | 6 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 14т | 18 | 15 | Not released |
| Coaches | 14 | 14^ | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 7 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings. ^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

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

* Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson

#### All-AAC First Team

* Josh Carlton
* Fabian White Jr.

#### All-AAC Second Team

* Kyler Edwards

#### All-AAC Third Team

* Jamal Shead
Source