2024–25 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by 11th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team played their home games at the Fertitta Center as second-year members of the Big 12 Conference.

2024–25 Houston Cougars men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Runner-up Big 12 tournament champions Big 12 regular season champions
National Championship Game, L 63–65 vs. Florida
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	35–5 (19–1 Big 12)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (11th season)
Associate head coach	Quannas White
Assistant coaches	K.C. Beard Hollis Price Kellen Sampson
Home arena	Fertitta Center
Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

The Alamodome after Houston's 70–67 win over Duke in the 2025 Final Four in San Antonio.

2024–25 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Houston †	19	–	1		.950			35	–	5		.875
No. 8 Texas Tech	15	–	5		.750			28	–	9		.757
No. 15 Arizona	14	–	6		.700			24	–	13		.649
No. 13 BYU	14	–	6		.700			26	–	10		.722
No. 17 Iowa State	13	–	7		.650			25	–	10		.714
Kansas	11	–	9		.550			21	–	13		.618
Baylor	10	–	10		.500			20	–	15		.571
West Virginia	10	–	10		.500			19	–	13		.594
TCU	9	–	11		.450			16	–	16		.500
Kansas State	9	–	11		.450			16	–	17		.485
Utah	8	–	12		.400			16	–	17		.485
Oklahoma State	7	–	13		.350			17	–	18		.486
Cincinnati	7	–	13		.350			19	–	16		.543
UCF	7	–	13		.350			20	–	17		.541
Arizona State	4	–	16		.200			13	–	20		.394
Colorado	3	–	17		.150			14	–	21		.400
† 2025 Big 12 tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

With a win over Cincinnati on March 1, 2025, the Cougars clinched their second straight outright Big 12 regular season conference championship.^[1]

As the No. 1 seed in the 2025 Big 12 men's basketball tournament, held at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Houston received a bye to the quarterfinals. There, they defeated Colorado, 77–68, to advance to the semifinals, where they would defeat BYU, 74–54, to advance to the championship game, where they would secure a 72–64 victory over Arizona to claim their first tournament title.

As the tournament champion, Houston received an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament, also as the No. 1 seed. They were seeded in the Midwest region. There, they defeated SIU Edwardsville, 78–40, in the First round, Gonzaga, 81–76, in the Second round, Purdue, 62–60, in the Sweet Sixteen, and Tennessee, 69–50, in the Elite Eight to advance to their first Final Four since 2021. In the Final Four, they overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat Duke, 70–67, to advance to their first national championship since 1984. In the championship game, despite leading for nearly the entire game – the same thing Duke did to them in the Final Four – Houston ultimately lost to Florida, 65–63, denying them their first national title.^[2]

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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	School	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
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    (85)
Chase McCarty SF	Huntsville, AL	IMG Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Oct 13, 2023
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    (82)
Overall recruit ranking:    247Sports: 45
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: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals. 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:[5] (#) first-place votes

Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

First Team

Player	School
Caleb Love	Arizona
LJ Cryer	Houston
J’Wan Roberts
Tamin Lipsey	Iowa State
Hunter Dickinson†	Kansas
† denotes unanimous selection Reference:[5]

Second Team

Player	School
Norchad Omier	Baylor
Jeremy Roach
Keshon Gilbert	Iowa State
Dajuan Harris Jr.	Kansas
Coleman Hawkins	Kansas State
† denotes unanimous selection Reference:[5]

• 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

Roster

2024–25 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Kordelius Jefferson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Martin HS Arlington, TX C 2 Cedric Lath 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) RS So Balboa School Abidjan, Ivory Coast G 3 Ramon Walker Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Shadow Creek HS Pearland, TX G 4 LJ Cryer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Baylor Katy, TX F 5 Ja'Vier Francis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Montverde Academy New Orleans, LA G 7 Milos Uzan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Oklahoma Las Vegas, NV G 8 Mylik Wilson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Texas Tech Rayville, LA F 11 Joseph Tugler 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Cypress Falls HS Houston, TX C 12 Jacob McFarland 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Fr Rancho Verde HS Moreno Valley, CA F 13 J'Wan Roberts 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) GS Shoemaker HS Saint Thomas, USVI G 21 Emanuel Sharp 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Bishop McLaughlin CHS Tampa, FL G 23 Terrance Arceneaux 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Beaumont United HS Beaumont, TX F 24 Chase McCarty  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr IMG Academy Huntsville, AL G 25 Mercy Miller 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Notre Dame HS Sherman Oaks, CA	Head coach Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke) Assistant coach(es) K.C. Beard (Boise State) Hollis Price (Oklahoma) Kellen Sampson (Oklahoma) Quannas White (Oklahoma) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: September 2, 2024

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	W 78–40	31–4	16 – Uzan	9 – Wilson	4 – Cryer	Intrust Bank Arena (14,355) Wichita, KS
March 22, 2025* 7:45 p.m., TNT	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (8 MW) No. 24 Gonzaga Second Round	W 81–76	32–4	30 – Cryer	11 – Tugler	8 – Uzan	Intrust Bank Arena (14,168) Wichita, KS
March 28, 2025* 9:09 p.m., TBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (4 MW) No. 22 Purdue Sweet Sixteen	W 62–60	33–4	22 – Uzan	12 – Roberts	6 – Uzan	Lucas Oil Stadium (28,968) Indianapolis, IN
March 30, 2025* 1:20 p.m., CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (2 MW) No. 6 Tennessee Elite Eight	W 69–50	34–4	17 – Cryer	9 – Tugler	4 – Tied	Lucas Oil Stadium (18,567) Indianapolis, IN
April 5, 2025 7:49 p.m., CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (1 E) No. 1 Duke Final Four	W 70–67	35–4	26 – Cryer	12 – Roberts	5 – Roberts	Alamodome (68,252) San Antonio, TX
April 7, 2025 7:50 p.m., CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (1 W) No. 3 Florida National Championship	L 63–65	35–5	19 – Cryer	8 – Roberts	2 – Cryer	Alamodome (66,602) San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest region. E=East region. W=West region. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[6]

Rankings

See also: 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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	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)	2
Coaches	4 (4)	10	8	7	18	13	12	12	14	11	8	5	5	5	6	5	4	3	2 (2)	2 (2)	2