Houston Cougars
American (23-8, 13-5)
Houston played very well in what turned out to be a pretty tough American Athletic Conference. The Cougars finished the season in a tie for first place in the conference pecking order and spent a good portion of the season ranked in the top 25. With their tough defense and ability to hit the glass effectively, this is a Houston squad that has the tools to win a couple games in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 1/18 at Wichita State (65-54), 3/1 Cincinnati (68-55), 3/7 Memphis (64-57)
Bad Losses: 12/15 Oklahoma State (55-61), 1/11 at Tulsa (61-63), 2/15 at SMU (72-73)
Coach: Kelvin Sampson
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Kelvin Sampson’s team is going to play tough defense. And they are going to hit the glass hard. Both of those are a team effort, but the emergence of Chris Harris, the lone senior on the team, has helped keep Houston as one of the top teams in the nation in those two categories. His ability to block shots provides the Cougars with a much needed playmaker in the paint. Fellow forward Fabian White will help out on the glass too, but it is guard Nate Hinton who easily leads this team in rebounding. At 6-5, Hinton is a big guard who can score from anywhere on the floor and use his athleticism to play great defense as well.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Houston has quite a few scoring options. Caleb Mills, Quentin Grimes, DeJon Jarreau and Marcus Sasser join Hinton as quality scoring options. This group can be inconsistent offensively though and that is in part due to their youth. Jarreau is the only upperclassmen of that bunch and Harris is the only senior on the roster. That does bode well for the future and Houston could spend the next two seasons as the team to beat in the American Athletic Conference, but for now it will be a concern heading into the NCAA Tournament. Most of these players have Sweet Sixteen experience from last season, but that was as roleplayers. Now they will have to take center stage in the bright lights of March.
Probable Starters:
Nate Hinton, Sophomore, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 2.0 apg, 8.7 rpg
Quentin Grimes, Sophomore, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 2.6 apg, 3.7 rpg
Marcus Sasser, Freshman, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 1.7 apg
Fabian White, Junior, Forward, 9.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Chris Harris, Senior, Center, 4.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Key Role Players:
Justin Gorham, Junior, Forward, 3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
DeJon Jarreau, Junior, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 3.7 apg, 4.3 rpg
Caleb Mills, Freshman, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 1.1 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.3 (133rd in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.1 (11, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.2 (256, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.3 (7, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (204, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.7 (159, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (106, 3)
Rebound Margin: 9.5 (1, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.9 (193, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.9 (70, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Georgia State |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Ohio State |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round o f 64 win over San Diego State |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Michigan |
| 2017 | NIT | First Round loss to Akron |
| 2016 | NIT | First Round loss to Georgia Tech |
| 2013 | CBI | First Round win over Texas |
| 2013 | CBI | Quarterfinal loss to George Mason |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Maryland |
| 2009 | CBI | First Round loss to Oregon State |
| 2008 | CBI | First Round win over Nevada |
| 2008 | CBI | Second Round win over Valparaiso |
| 2008 | CBI | Semifinal loss to Tulsa |
| 2006 | NIT | First Round win over BYU |
| 2006 | NIT | Second Round loss to Missouri State |
| 2005 | NIT | Opening Round loss to Wichita State |
*all team stats through 3/8
