10. Baylor Bears
12. Auburn Tigers
16. Texas A&M Aggies
19. Indiana Hoosiers
22. Texas Longhorns
25. Miami Hurricanes
28. BYU Cougars
29. Maryland Terps
31. UCLA Bruins
32. Oregon Ducks
34. Florida Gators
35. Ole Miss
36. USC Trojans
39. Mississippi State Bulldogs
41. Memphis Tigers
42. McNeese Cowboys
45. VCU Rams
46. Dayton Flyers
47. St Mary’s Gaels
49. UCF Knights
52. Clemson Tigers
53. New Mexico Lobos
58. SMU Mustangs
60. Nevada Wolfpack
61. TCU Horned Frogs
63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
65. Syracuse Orange
68. Iowa Hawkeyes
70. Butler Bulldogs
71. Princeton Tigers
74. Oklahoma Sooners
75. West Virginia Mountaineers
76. Georgia Bulldogs
77. UAB Blazers
80. Missouri Tigers
Here’s where our TCH analysts have the Bulldogs ranked:
| Steven | Maxwell | Kam | Cody |
| 3 | 3 | 12 | 2 |
Very few coaches and very few programs could go from dominating the AAC to dominating the Big 12. But Kelvin Sampson and the Houston program are each one of the elite few. After joining the Big 12, Houston went 15-3 in conference play and won the conference regular season. In fact, Houston was probably the third best team in the nation behind UConn and Purdue. If it weren’t for a Jamal Shead injury in the Sweet 16, Houston likely would’ve made the Final Four. And the metrics love them. Houston is the #1 ranked team in the preseason according to Kenpom and BartTorvik. Last year, they finished #2 in each of those metrics. And despite Shead being off to the NBA, the Cougars are returning 73.2% of their minutes from last year.
Shead was a First Team All-American last season, and the Cougars will need to replace him by committee. Leading scorer, LJ Cryer, is back. And Cryer may need to take a step forward even further in order to be the anchor of this Houston team. Replacing Shead in the starting five is Oklahoma transfer, Milos Uzan. Uzan is a bigger guard, standing at 6’4″, while Shead is listed at just 6’1″. Uzan is also an excellent playmaker. Additionally, there’s Emanuel Sharp, who puts the “sharp” in sharp shooter. The starting power forward is J’Wan Roberts. Roberts is a budding offensive player while already a good defender. He’s a perfect example of a Kelvin Sampson type of player. Finally, there’s Ja’Vier Francis, the man in the middle. Francis is an elite shot blocker and rebounder. In Houston’s starting five, not only is there continuity, but they each know their role and who plays each role. And those are the type of players Sampson covets. In each of the previous three seasons, Houston has had a top 10 defense and top 20 offense, per KenPom.
Returning from an achilles injury is junior, Terrance Arceneaux. Arceneaux may be the best NBA prospect on this roster. There’s also Joseph Tugler, who stands at 6’7″ but has a whopping 7’6.5″ wingspan. Tugler will play a role behind Roberts and Francis. The most important bench piece could end up being Mylik Wilson though, as he can be classified as a “jack of all trades but a master of none.”
There’s a reason Houston is 129-21 over the past four seasons. Their defensive identity is to force turnovers, not allow many assisted baskets, and force opponents to take low percentage shots. On offense, they essentially do the opposite. The Cougars take care of the ball, rarely turn it over, and get easy shots. It’s easy to see how the Cougars transitioned so easily into the Big 12 and why they will continue to have sustained success.
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