2017–18 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by fourth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference. Due to renovations to the Cougars home arena, Hofheinz Pavilion, they played their home games at the H&PE Arena on the campus of Texas Southern University.

2017–18 Houston Cougars men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22
AP	No. 21
Record	27–8 (14–4 AAC)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Alvin Brooks Kellen Sampson Quannas White
Home arena	H&PE Arena (temporary arena)
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 6 Cincinnati †	16	–	2		.889			31	–	5		.861
No. 21 Houston	14	–	4		.778			27	–	8		.771
No. 16 Wichita State	14	–	4		.778			25	–	8		.758
Tulsa	12	–	6		.667			19	–	12		.613
Memphis	10	–	8		.556			21	–	13		.618
UCF	9	–	9		.500			19	–	13		.594
Temple	8	–	10		.444			17	–	16		.515
UConn	7	–	11		.389			14	–	18		.438
SMU	6	–	12		.333			17	–	16		.515
Tulane	5	–	13		.278			14	–	17		.452
East Carolina	4	–	14		.222			10	–	20		.333
South Florida	3	–	15		.167			10	–	22		.313
† 2018 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The Cougars ended the season with a record of 27–8. They tied for second place in regular-season conference play with a record of 14–4. As the No. 3 seed in the AAC tournament, Houston advanced to the final game, losing 56–55 to the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Cougars earned a No. 6 seed in the West Regional of the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the second round before falling to the Michigan Wolverines by a score of 64–63.

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2016–17 season 21–11, 12–6 in AAC play to finish in third place. They lost to UConn in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament.^[1] They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament as a No. 2 seed and lost in the first round to Akron.^[2]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Danrad Knowles	0	F	6'10"	200	RS Senior	Nassau, Bahamas	Graduated
Xavier Dupree	1	F	6'9"	210	Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
Morris Dunnigan	5	G	6'3"	195	Junior	Joliet, IL	Transferred
Bertrand Nkali	13	C	6'9"	235	RS Senior	Bertoua, Cameroon	Graduated
Damyean Dotson	21	G	6'5"	210	RS Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
Kyle Meyer	33	C	6'10"	230	RS Senior	Atlanta, GA	Graduated

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Corey Davis Jr.	5	G	6'2"	175	Junior	Lafayette, LA	Junior college transferred from San Jacinto College
Nura Zanna	13	F	6'7"	240	RS Senior	Kaduna, Nigeria	Transferred from LIU Brooklyn. Will be eligible to play since Zanna graduated from LIU Brooklyn.
Gabe Grant	20	F	6'6"	220	Junior	Chicago, IL	Junior college transferred from Three Rivers CC
Breaon Brady	24	F	6'8"	230	Junior	Akron, OH	Junior college transferred from Saddleback College

Class of 2017 signees

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Fabian White Jr. #25 PF	Humble, TX	Atascocita High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sep 11, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (82)
Michael Adewunmi SG	Mansfield, TX	Lake Ridge High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Aug 1, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Cedric Alley PF	Houston, TX	Klein Forest High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Apr 1, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: NR    Rivals: NR    ESPN: NR
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "Houston Basketball Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "2017 Houston Basketball Commitment List". Scout. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved September 18, 2017.

Class of 2018 signees

College recruiting information (2018)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Nate Hinton #24 SF	Gastonia, NC	Gaston Day School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	Sep 18, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (82)
Antoine Davis #43 SG	Humble, TX	Homeschool Christian Youth Association	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	N/A	Aug 16, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (78)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: NR    Rivals: NR    ESPN: NR
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "Houston Basketball Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "2018 Houston Basketball Commitment List". Scout. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved September 18, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved September 18, 2017.

Roster

2017–18 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown C 1 Chris Harris Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS So San Jacinto High School Houston, Texas G 2 Mike Adewunmi 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Lake Ridge High School Mansfield, Texas G 3 Armoni Brooks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So McNeil High School Round Rock, Texas G 5 Corey Davis Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr San Jacinto College Lafayette, Louisiana G 12 Wes VanBeck (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Westside High School Houston, Texas F 13 Nura Zanna 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr LIU Brooklyn Kaduna, Nigeria F 15 Devin Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Odessa College Indianapolis, Indiana F 20 Gabe Grant 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Three Rivers Community College Chicago, Illinois F 23 Cedrick Alley Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Klein Forest High School Houston, Texas F 24 Breaon Brady 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Saddleback College Akron, Ohio G 25 Galen Robinson Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Westbury Christian School Houston, Texas C 30 Caleb Broodo (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Dow High School Midland, Michigan C 31 Valentine Sangoyomi 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Northern Oklahoma College Lagos, Nigeria G 32 Rob Gray 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Howard College Forest City, North Carolina F 35 Fabian White Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Atascocita High School Atascocita, Texas	Head coach Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke) Assistant coach(es) Alvin Brooks (Lamar) 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 21, 2017* 12:00 pm		at Baylor Hurricane Harvey Relief Exhibition	W 81–78		25 – Gray	6 – White	11 – Gray	Ferrell Center (2,551) Waco, TX
November 5, 2017* 3:00 pm		Angelo State	W 97–80		13 – Harris/Zanna	9 – White	5 – C. Davis/Gray	H&PE Arena  Houston, TX
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		McNeese State	W 81–53	1–0	22 – Brooks	10 – Brady	5 – C. Davis/D. Davis/Robinson	H&PE Arena (3,241) Houston, TX
November 17, 2017* 2:30 pm, FloHoops		vs. Drexel Paradise Jam quarterfinals	L 80–84	1–1	37 – Gray	9 – Zanna	5 – Robinson	Vines Center (1,022) Lynchburg, VA
November 18, 2017* 11:00 am, FloHoops		vs. Liberty Paradise Jam	W 68–66	2–1	19 – Gray	11 – Brady	3 – Gray	Vines Center (815) Lynchburg, VA
November 19, 2017* 1:30 p.m., FloHoops		vs. Wake Forest Paradise Jam	W 78–73	3–1	23 – Gray	11 – Zanna	5 – Robinson	Vines Center (655) Lynchburg, VA
November 25, 2017* 7:00 pm		Incarnate Word	W 97–58	4–1	16 – Gray/VanBeck	12 – White	7 – C. Davis	H&PE Arena (2,724) Houston, TX
November 29, 2017* 7:00 pm		New Orleans	W 75–66	5–1	23 – Gray	6 – D. Davis/White	8 – Gray	H&PE Arena (2,586) Houston, TX
December 2, 2017* 6:30 pm, CBSSN		Arkansas	W 91–65	6–1	28 – D. Davis	10 – D. Davis	9 – Robinson	H&PE Arena (4,186) Houston, TX
December 6, 2017* 11:00 am, ESPN3		Fairfield	W 88–66	7–1	20 – Gray	9 – D. Davis	4 – Robinson	H&PE Arena (3,548) Houston, TX
December 9, 2017* 7:00 pm, Stadium		at Saint Louis	W 77–58	8–1	24 – Gray	6 – Brady/Gray	2 – VanBeck	Chaifetz Arena (6,014) St. Louis, MO
December 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN		at LSU	L 77–80	8–2	20 – C. Davis/Gray	7 – D. Davis	7 – Gray	Maravich Center (8,449) Baton Rouge, LA
December 17, 2017* 3:00 pm		Prairie View A&M	W 92–72	9–2	24 – Brooks	7 – D. Davis	6 – Robinson	H&PE Arena (2,788) Houston, TX
December 20, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Providence Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase	W 70–59	10–2	24 – Gray	9 – D. Davis	6 – Robinson	Mohegan Sun Arena (5,518) Uncasville, CT
AAC regular season
December 28, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPNews		at South Florida	W 79–60	11–2 (1–0)	15 – C. Davis	8 – Brady	5 – Robinson	USF Sun Dome (2,273) Tampa, FL
December 30, 2017 5:00 pm, ESPNU		Temple	W 76–73	12–2 (2–0)	21 – Brady	9 – Brady	3 – C. Davis/Gray/Robinson	H&PE Arena (3,370) Houston, TX
January 4, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN		at No. 9 Wichita State	L 63–81	12–3 (2–1)	13 – Gray	6 – Sangoyomi/VanBeck	5 – C. Davis	Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS
January 11, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU		Tulsa	W 104–71	13–3 (3–1)	34 – Gray	8 – D. Davis	8 – Gray	H&PE Arena (2,666) Houston, TX
January 14, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at East Carolina	W 65–49	14–3 (4–1)	20 – C. Davis	6 – VanBeck/White	9 – Gray	Williams Arena (3,549) Greenville, NC
January 17, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNews		at Tulane	L 72–81	14–4 (4–2)	24 – Gray	7 – VanBeck	5 – Gray	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,301) New Orleans, LA
January 20, 2018 11:00 am, ESPNU		No. 7 Wichita State	W 73–59	15–4 (5–2)	24 – Gray	8 – C. Davis	4 – Gray	H&PE Arena (5,708) Houston, TX
January 28, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3		South Florida	W 63–40	16–4 (6–2)	17 – C. Davis	11 – White	6 – Gray	H&PE Arena (3,121) Houston, TX
January 31, 2018 6:00 pm, CBSSN		at No. 8 Cincinnati	L 70–80	16–5 (6–3)	18 – C. Davis	9 – D. Davis	6 – Gray	BB&T Arena (8,885) Highland Heights, KY
February 3, 2018 11:00 am, ESPNU		at UCF	W 69–65	17–5 (7–3)	20 – Gray	9 – Brady	5 – Gray	CFE Arena (4,301) Orlando, FL
February 8, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2		SMU	W 67–58	18–5 (8–3)	23 – Brooks	10 – Brooks	7 – Gray	H&PE Arena (3,547) Houston, TX
February 11, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPNU		Tulane	W 73–42	19–5 (9–3)	16 – D. Davis	11 – Brooks	5 – Robinson	H&PE Arena (2,902) Houston, TX
February 15, 2018 6:00 pm, CBSSN		No. 5 Cincinnati	W 67–62	20–5 (10–3)	16 – C. Davis/D. Davis	10 – D. Davis	6 – Robinson	H&PE Arena (5,363) Houston, TX
February 18, 2018 3:00 pm, CBSSN		at Temple	W 80–59	21–5 (11–3)	20 – C. Davis	11 – D. Davis	7 – Robinson	Liacouras Center (7,270) Philadelphia, PA
February 22, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 23	at Memphis	L 85–91	21–6 (11–4)	30 – Gray	9 – Brady	7 – Gray	FedEx Forum (6,536) Memphis, TN
February 25, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 23	East Carolina	W 109–58	22–6 (12–4)	21 – Brooks	9 – White	11 – Gray	H&PE Arena (3,602) Houston, TX
February 28, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 25	at SMU	W 69–56	23–6 (13–4)	19 – Gray	7 – Brooks	9 – Gray	Moody Coliseum (6,782) Dallas, TX
March 4, 2018 3:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 25	UConn	W 81–71	24–6 (14–4)	30 – Gray	8 – D. Davis	4 – Robinson	H&PE Arena (5,237) Houston, TX
AAC Tournament
March 9, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU	(3) No. 21	vs. (6) UCF Quarterfinals	W 84–56	25–6	18 – Robinson	7 – D. Davis/White	6 – Gray	Amway Center (8,680) Orlando, FL
March 10, 2018 2:30 pm, CBS	(3) No. 21	vs. (2) No. 11 Wichita State Semifinals	W 77–74	26–6	33 – Gray	9 – Zanna	6 – Robinson	Amway Center (8,644) Orlando, FL
March 11, 2018 2:30 pm, CBS	(3) No. 21	vs. (1) No. 8 Cincinnati Championship	L 55–56	26–7	17 – Gray	6 – Zanna	5 – Robinson	Amway Center (8,670) Orlando, FL
NCAA tournament
March 15, 2018* 6:40 pm, TBS	(6 W) No. 21	vs. (11 W) San Diego State First Round	W 67–65	27–7	39 – Gray	9 – D. Davis	2 – C. Davis/Robinson	Intrust Bank Arena (14,019) Wichita, KS
March 17, 2018* 9:02 pm, TBS	(6 W) No. 21	vs. (3 W) No. 7 Michigan Second Round	L 63–64	27–8	23 – Gray	10 – Gray	3 – Gray/Robinson	Intrust Bank Arena (14,385) Wichita, KS
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Main article: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	25	21	21	Not released
Coaches	—	—^	—	—	—	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	23	RV	21	19	22

^Coaches Poll did not release a Week 2 poll at the same time AP did.
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.