2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

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2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball
Houston Cougars primary logo.svg
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 12
2021–22 record11–2 (0–0 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • K.C. Beard
  • Kellen Sampson
  • Quannas White
Home arenaFertitta Center
Seasons
← 2020–21
 →
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
UCF 1 – 0   1.000 8 – 2   .800
No. 12 Houston 0 – 0   – 11 – 2   .846
Cincinnati 0 – 0   – 10 – 3   .769
East Carolina 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
SMU 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
Wichita State 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
Memphis 0 – 0   – 6 – 4   .600
Tulsa 0 – 0   – 6 – 5   .545
South Florida 0 – 0   – 5 – 7   .417
Tulane 0 – 0   – 3 – 6   .333
Temple 0 – 1   .000 7 – 5   .583
† winner
As of December 25, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars are led by eighth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team plays their home games at the Fertitta Center as members of the American Athletic Conference.

Previous season[]

Houston finished the 2020–21 regular season 21–3, 14–3 in AAC play, finishing in second place for the regular season. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the AAC Tournament, which the Cougars would go on to win for the first time to clinch an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament. They were selected as a #2 seed in the Midwest Region. The team advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1984. They lost to eventual national champions Baylor in the Final Four.

Offseason[]

Departing players[]

Houston Departing Players
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Caleb Mills 2 G 6'3" 180 Redshirt Sophomore Arden, NC Transferred to Florida State (mid-season)[1]
DeJon Jarreau 3 G 6'5" 185 Redshirt Senior New Orleans, LA Graduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft[a]
Justin Gorham 4 F 6'7" 225 Redshirt Senior Baltimore, MD Graduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft[a]
Cameron Tyson 5 G 6'2" 190 Redshirt Sophomore Bothell, WA Transferred to Seattle[2]
Quentin Grimes 24 G 6'5" 205 Junior The Woodlands, TX Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers[3]
Brison Gresham 55 F/C 6'8" 230 Redshirt Senior New Orleans, LA Graduate transferred to Texas Southern[4]
  1. ^ a b For the 2021 draft only, the NBA and its players union agreed that seniors would have to declare themselves eligible for the draft. This was an aftereffect of the NCAA's announcement that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any participant in the organization's winter sports, including basketball. This in turn meant that every senior in the 2020–21 season had remaining eligibility.

Incoming Transfers[]

Houston Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Years Remaining Date Eligible
Taze Moore[5] 4 G 6'5" 195 Graduate Student Southaven, MS CSU Bakersfield 1 October 1, 2021
Kyler Edwards[6] 11 G 6'4" 195 Senior Arlington, TX Texas Tech 2 October 1, 2021
Josh Carlton[7] 25 F/C 6'11" 245 Graduate Student Winterville, NC UConn 1 October 1, 2021

2021 Recruiting class[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ramon Walker Jr.
SF 		Pearland, TX Shadow Creek High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) May 20, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 76
Robbie Armbrester
PF 		Atlanta, GA Wasatch Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 7, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 77
Ja'Vier Francis
C 		New Orleans, LA Montverde Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 29
  • 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:

  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2020-10-01.

2022 Recruiting class[]

Preseason[]

AAC preseason media poll[]

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[8]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 98 (8)
2 Memphis 92 (3)
3 SMU 77
4 Wichita State 76
5 UCF 66
6 Cincinnati 52
7 Tulsa 43
8 Temple 37
T-9 South Florida 25
T-9 Tulane 25
11 East Carolina 14

Preseason Awards[]

  • All-AAC First Team - Marcus Sasser

Roster[]

2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Marcus Sasser Injured 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Red Oak Dallas, TX
G 1 Jamal Shead 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Manor Manor, TX
G 2 Robbie Armbrester 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Wasatch Academy Atlanta, GA
G 3 Ramon Walker Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Shadow Creek Pearland, TX
G 4 Taze Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS CSU Bakersfield Southaven, MS
F 5 Ja'Vier Francis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Montverde Academy New Orleans, LA
G 11 Kyler Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Texas Tech Arlington, TX
G 12 Tramon Mark Injured 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Dickinson Dickinson, TX
F 13 J'Wan Roberts 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So Shoemaker Saint Thomas, VI
G 20 Ryan Elvin (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Cedar Ridge Round Rock, TX
F/C 25 Josh Carlton 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) GS UConn Winterville, NC
F 32 Reggie Chaney 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Arkansas Tulsa, OK
F 35 Fabian White Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Atascocita Atascocita, TX
C 52 Kiyron Powell Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Benjamin Bosse Evansville, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 6, 2021

  • December 22, 2021 – Tramon Mark had shoulder surgery, leading him to miss the rest of the season.[9]
  • December 24, 2021 – Marcus Sasser announced he would miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury.[10]

Schedule and results[]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 6, 2021*
3:00 p.m. 		No. 15 Montana Tech W 78–51 
 21 – Sasser   9 – White Jr.   7 – Shead  Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 15 W 83–75 OT 1–0
  25 – Sasser   15 – Roberts   3 – Tied  Fertitta Center (6,883)
Houston, TX
November 12, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 15 Rice
Rivalry 		W 79–46  2–0
  26 – Sasser   9 – Roberts   5 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (6,967)
Houston, TX
November 16, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 15 Virginia W 67–47  3–0
  19 – Sasser   8 – White Jr.   4 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (7,051)
Houston, TX
November 22, 2021*
3:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 vs. Butler
Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinal 		W 70–52  4–0
  21 – White Jr.   8 – White Jr.   4 – Edwards  Michelob Ultra Arena (2,937)
Paradise, NV
November 23, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 12 vs. Wisconsin
Maui Invitational Tournament semifinal 		L 63–65  4–1
  18 – Edwards   6 – Roberts   5 – Shead  Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 24, 2021*
1:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 vs. Oregon
Maui Invitational Tournament 3rd place game 		W 78–49  5–1
  15 – White Jr.   7 – White Jr.   6 – Shead  Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 30, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 15 Northwestern State W 99–58  6–1
  26 – Sasser   8 – White Jr.   9 – Shead  Fertitta Center (6,639)
Houston, TX
December 3, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 15 Bryant W 111–44  7–1
  22 – Mark   12 – Roberts   4 – Tied  Fertitta Center (7,051)
Houston, TX
December 6, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 14 Alcorn State W 77–45  8–1
  18 – Mark   7 – Edwards   11 – Shead  Fertitta Center (6,649)
Houston, TX
December 11, 2021*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 14 at No. 9 Alabama L 82–83  8–2
  25 – Sasser   13 – Roberts   3 – Shead  Coleman Coliseum (10,613)
Tuscaloosa, AL
December 14, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 14 Louisiana W 71–56  9–2
  17 – Carlton   10 – Moore   5 – Shead  Fertitta Center (6,955)
Houston, TX
December 18, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 14 vs. Oklahoma State
Hoop Hype XL College Basketball Showcase 		W 72–61  10–2
  18 – Shead   11 – Carlton   8 – Shead  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
December 22, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 13 Texas State W 80–47  11–2
  20 – Carlton   5 – Tied   10 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,488)
Houston, TX
AAC Regular Season
December 28, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 Cincinnati Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[11] Fertitta Center (–)
Houston, TX
January 2, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		No. 12 at Temple       Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 5, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Florida       Yuengling Center 
Tampa, FL
January 8, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		Wichita State       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
January 15, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		at Tulsa       Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
January 18, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Florida       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
January 22, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		East Carolina       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
January 29, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at UCF       Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
February 2, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 6, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Cincinnati       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 9, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		at SMU
Rivalry 		      Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
February 12, 2022
2:30 p.m., ABC 		Memphis       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 17, 2022
8:00 p.m./9:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		UCF       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 20, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Wichita State       Charles Koch Arena 
Wichita, KS
February 23, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulane       Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
February 27, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		SMU
Rivalry 		      Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
March 3, 2022
 ESPN2/ESPNU 		Temple       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
March 6, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		at Memphis       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
March 10–13, 2022
TBA 		vs.        Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[12]

Rankings[]

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final 
AP 15 15 12 15 14 14 13 12 Not released 
Coaches 14 14^ 11 14 13 13 14 14

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

Awards and honors[]

References[]

  1. ^ Weiler, Curt (January 12, 2021). "FSU basketball lands commitment from Houston transfer Caleb Mills". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Cameron Tyson Commits to Seattle U". goseattleu.com. Seattle University. April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  3. ^ Jackson, Wilton (April 9, 2021). "Report: Houston Guard Quentin Grimes Declares for NBA Draft". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ McIlvoy, Randy (14 Jul 2021). "Texas Southern lands former UH Cougar Brison Gresham Forward". click2houston.com. KPRC-TV. Retrieved 14 Jul 2021.
  5. ^ "Houston Signs Guard Taze Moore". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. 16 Apr 2021. Retrieved 17 Apr 2021.
  6. ^ Yanez, Andy (14 Apr 2021). "Texas Tech guard Kyler Edwards transferring to UH". thedailycougar.com. The Daily Cougar. Retrieved 17 Apr 2021.
  7. ^ Mavredakis, Mike (25 Mar 2021). "Josh Carlton headed to Houston as grad transfer". theuconnblog.com. The UConn Blog. Retrieved 17 Apr 2021.
  8. ^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  9. ^ @Joseph_Duarte (22 December 2021). "Houston's Tramon Mark to miss rest of season after shoulder surgery" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 December 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ @Joseph_Duarte (24 December 2021). "UH's Marcus Sasser to miss rest of season" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 December 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Cincinnati-Houston Men's Basketball Game Scheduled for Dec. 28 Cancelled". TheAmerican.org. American Athletic Conference. December 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
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