2023–24 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

2023–24 Houston Cougars men's basketball
2023–24 Houston Cougars men's basketball
Charleston Classic champions
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	14–2 (1–2 Big 12)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (10th season);
Assistant coaches	K.C. Beard; Kellen Sampson; Quannas White;
Home arena	Fertitta Center

2023–24 Big 12 men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Texas Tech	3	–	0	1.000	14	–	2	.875
No. 14 Baylor	3	–	0	1.000	14	–	2	.875
Kansas State	2	–	1	.667	12	–	4	.750
No. 3 Kansas	2	–	1	.667	14	–	2	.875
TCU	2	–	1	.667	13	–	3	.813
Iowa State	2	–	1	.667	13	–	3	.813
No. 2 Houston	1	–	2	.333	14	–	2	.875
No. 9 Oklahoma	1	–	2	.333	13	–	3	.813
Cincinnati	1	–	2	.333	12	–	4	.750
No. 25 Texas	1	–	2	.333	12	–	4	.750
UCF	1	–	2	.333	10	–	5	.667
No. 18 BYU	1	–	2	.333	13	–	3	.813
West Virginia	1	–	2	.333	6	–	10	.375
Oklahoma State	0	–	3	.000	8	–	8	.500

† 2024 Big 12 tournament winner As of January 14, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars are led by tenth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team plays their home games at the Fertitta Center as first-year members of the Big 12 Conference.

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2022–23 season 29–2, 17–1 in AAC play to win the AAC regular season championship. They defeated East Carolina and Cincinnati to advance to the AAC tournament championship game where they lost to Memphis. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the #1 seed in the Midwest Regional. They defeated Northern Kentucky and Auburn to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year. There they lost to Miami (FL).

On November 28, 2022, the team reached the number one ranking in the AP Poll, marking the first time they had held the top spot since 1983. The season marked Houston's last as a member of the AAC. They became a member of the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023.^[1]^[2]

Offseason

Departing players

Houston Departing Players
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Marcus Sasser	0	G	6'2"	195	Senior	Dallas, TX	Graduated/declared for the 2023 NBA draft; selected 25th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies
Darius Bowser	4	C	6'9"	250	Graduate Student	Gaffney, SC	Exhausted eligibility
Tramon Mark	12	G	6'5"	195	Sophomore	Dickinson, TX	Transferred to Arkansas
Jarace Walker	25	F	6'8"	240	Freshman	New Freedom, PA	Declared for the 2023 NBA draft; selected 8th overall by the Washington Wizards
Reggie Chaney	32	F	6'8"	230	Graduate Student	Tulsa, OK	Exhausted eligibility

Incoming Transfers

Houston Incoming Transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
LJ Cryer	4	G	6'1"	185	Senior	Katy, TX	Baylor
Damian Dunn	11	G	6'5"	195	Senior	Kinston, NC	Temple

2023 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kordelius Jefferson CG	Arlington, TX	Martin High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 16, 2022
Kordelius Jefferson CG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79
Joseph Tugler PF / C	Houston, TX	Cypress Falls High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 25, 2022
Joseph Tugler PF / C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83
Jacob McFarland C	Moreno Valley, CA	Rancho Verde High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Sep 23, 2022
Jacob McFarland C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82
Cedric Lath C	Abidjan, Ivory Coast	Balboa School (CA)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Nov 16, 2022
Cedric Lath C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 23
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: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.

Roster

2023–24 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	1	Jamal Shead	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Manor	Manor, TX
C	2	Cedric Lath	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	RS Fr	Balboa School	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
G	3	Ramon Walker Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	RS So	Shadow Creek	Pearland, TX
G	4	LJ Cryer	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Baylor	Katy, TX
F	5	Ja'Vier Francis	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Jr	Montverde Academy	New Orleans, LA
G	11	Damian Dunn	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Sr	Temple	Kinston, NC
C	12	Jacob McFarland	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	Rancho Verde	Moreno Valley, CA
F	13	J'Wan Roberts	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	RS Sr	Shoemaker	Saint Thomas, VI
G	15	Kordelius Jefferson	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Martin	Arlington, TX
G	20	Ryan Elvin (W)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sr	Cedar Ridge	Round Rock, TX
G	21	Emanuel Sharp	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS So	Bishop McLaughlin	Tampa, FL
G	23	Terrance Arceneaux	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Beaumont United	Beaumont, TX
G	24	Mylik Wilson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	RS Sr	Texas Tech	Rayville, LA
G	25	Joseph Tugler	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Fr	Cypress Falls	Houston, TX

Head coach

Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke)

Assistant coach(es)

K.C. Beard (Boise State)
Kellen Sampson (Oklahoma)
Quannas White (Oklahoma)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 28, 2023* 3:00 p.m.	No. 7	UNC Pembroke	W 86–47		21 – Cryer	9 – Tugler	8 – Shead	Fertitta Center Houston, TX
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 7	Louisiana–Monroe	W 84–31	1–0	20 – Sharp	7 – Tied	8 – Shead	Fertitta Center (6,832) Houston, TX
November 11, 2023* 12:30 p.m., ESPN+	No. 7	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi	W 82–50	2–0	17 – Roberts	9 – Roberts	4 – Tied	Fertitta Center (7,145) Houston, TX
November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 6	Stetson	W 79–48	3–0	21 – Cryer	7 – Francis	8 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,104) Houston, TX
November 16, 2023* 5:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 6	vs. Towson Charleston Classic quarterfinals	W 65–49	4–0	18 – Cryer	11 – Roberts	8 – Shead	TD Arena Charleston, SC
November 17, 2023* 3:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 6	vs. Utah Charleston Classic semifinals	W 76–66	5–0	15 – Sharp	12 – Roberts	5 – Shead	TD Arena Charleston, SC
November 19, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	vs. Dayton Charleston Classic championship	W 69–55	6–0	18 – Cryer	9 – Francis	4 – Shead	TD Arena (3,841) Charleston, SC
November 24, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 6	Montana	W 79–44	7–0	24 – Cryer	9 – Arceneaux	7 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,451) Houston, TX
December 1, 2023* 5:30 p.m., FS1	No. 6	at Xavier Big East–Big 12 Battle	W 66–60	8–0	23 – Cryer	12 – Roberts	4 – Tied	Cintas Center (10,472) Cincinnati, OH
December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Rice Rivalry	W 75–39	9–0	15 – Cryer	9 – Arceneaux	8 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,159) Houston, TX
December 9, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Jackson State	W 89–55	10–0	25 – Sharp	10 – Arceneaux	6 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,122) Houston, TX
December 16, 2023* 1:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 4	vs. Texas A&M The Halal Guys Showcase	W 70–66	11–0	21 – Sharp	11 – Roberts	8 – Shead	Toyota Center (12,152) Houston, TX
December 21, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Texas State	W 72–37	12–0	17 – Sharp	7 – Wilson	3 – Cryer	Fertitta Center (7,231) Houston, TX
December 30, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Penn	W 81–42	13–0	16 – Cryer	9 – Francis	4 – Tied	Fertitta Center (7,216) Houston, TX
Big 12 regular season
January 6, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	West Virginia	W 89–55	14–0 (1–0)	20 – Cryer	7 – Sharp	11 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,387) Houston, TX
January 9, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	at Iowa State	L 53–57	14–1 (1–1)	20 – Sharp	8 – Roberts	3 – Tied	Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA
January 13, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at TCU	L 67–68	14–2 (1–2)	20 – Roberts	13 – Roberts	5 – Tied	Schollmaier Arena (6,151) Fort Worth, TX
January 17, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		Texas Tech						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
January 20, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+		UCF						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
January 23, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at BYU						Marriott Center Provo, UT
January 27, 2024 11:00 a.m., TBD		Kansas State						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
January 29, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN		at Texas						Moody Center Austin, TX
February 3, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN		at Kansas						Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS
February 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., TBD		Oklahoma State						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
February 10, 2024 3:00 p.m., TBD		at Cincinnati						Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
February 17, 2024 12:00 p.m., CBS		Texas						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
February 19, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPNU		Iowa State						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
February 24, 2024 11:00 a.m., CBS		at Baylor						Ferrell Center Waco, TX
February 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., TBD		Cincinnati						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Oklahoma						Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK
March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at UCF						Addition Financial Arena Orlando, FL
March 9, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN		Kansas						Fertitta Center Houston, TX
Big 12 tournament
March 12–16, 2024 TBA		vs. TBA						T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[3]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	7	6	6	6	3 (3)	4 (1)	3 (8)	3 (9)	3 (9)	2 (7)										Not released
Coaches	6	6	6	5	2 (5)	3 (3)	3 (9)	3 (7)	3 (8)	2 (10)

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

↑ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
↑ "Deal lets Cincy, Houston, UCF join Big 12 in 2023". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
↑ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.

[2] "Deal lets Cincy, Houston, UCF join Big 12 in 2023". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2023.

[3] "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

Houston Cougars men's basketball
Venues	Sam Houston Coliseum (select games; 1937–19??) Jeppesen Gymnasium (1946–1966) Delmar Fieldhouse (1966–1969) Fertitta Center (1969–present) Health and Physical Education Arena (2017–2018)
Rivalries	Rice SMU
Culture & lore	Shasta Phi Slama Jama Game of the Century "Cougar Fight Song" Spirit of Houston
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics