2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball
AAC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 2
Record33–4 (17–1 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFertitta Center
Seasons
2022–23 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Houston 17 – 1   .944 33 – 4   .892
No. 24 Memphis † 13 – 5   .722 26 – 9   .743
Tulane 12 – 6   .667 20 – 11   .645
Cincinnati 11 – 7   .611 23 – 13   .639
Temple 10 – 8   .556 16 – 16   .500
Wichita State 9 – 9   .500 17 – 15   .531
UCF 8 – 10   .444 19 – 15   .559
South Florida 7 – 11   .389 14 – 18   .438
East Carolina 6 – 12   .333 16 – 17   .485
SMU 5 – 13   .278 10 – 22   .313
Tulsa 1 – 17   .056 5 – 25   .167
† 2023 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by ninth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team played their home games at the Fertitta Center as members of the American Athletic Conference. In September 2021, Houston and fellow conference members Cincinnati and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12 Conference.[1] They finished the season 33–4, 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.[2][3]

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2021–22 season 26–5, 15–3 in AAC play, to win the AAC regular season championship. They defeated Cincinnati, Tulane and Memphis to win the AAC tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South region. They defeated UAB and Illinois to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive season. There they defeated Arizona before losing to Villanova in the Elite Eight.

Offseason

Departing players

Houston departing players
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Robbie Armbrester 2 G 6'4" 220 Freshman Atlanta, GA Transferred to Stephen F. Austin[4]
Tazé Moore 4 G 6'5" 195 Graduate student Southaven, MS Exhausted eligibility
Kyler Edwards 11 G 6'4" 205 Senior Arlington, TX Graduated; declared for the 2022 NBA draft[5]
Josh Carlton 25 F/C 6'10" 245 Graduate student Winterville, NC Exhausted eligibility
Fabian White Jr. 35 F 6'8" 230 Graduate student Atascocita, TX Exhausted eligibility
Kiyron Powell 52 C 6'8" 210 Sophomore Evansville, IN Transferred to Southern Indiana[6]

Incoming transfers

Houston incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Mylik Wilson[7] 13 G 6'3" 175 Senior Rayville, LA Texas Tech
Sadarius Bowser[8] 22 C 6'9" 230 Graduate student Gaffney, SC Charleston Southern

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Emanuel Sharp
SG 		Tampa, FL Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 13, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 82
Terrance Arceneaux
SF 		Beaumont, TX Beaumont United High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 17, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 83
Jarace Walker
PF / SF 		New Freedom, PA IMG Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 4, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 12
  • 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:

  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023)
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 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    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 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    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 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    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 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
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:

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 12, The American released the preseason poll and other preseason awards.[9]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 100 (10)
2 Memphis 87 (1)
3 Cincinnati 82
4 Tulane 74
5 Temple 66
6 UCF 51
7 SMU 43
8 Wichita State 35
9 South Florida 33
10 Tulsa 21
11 East Carolina 13

Preseason awards

  • Player of the Year – Marcus Sasser
  • Rookie of the Year – Jarace Walker
  • All-AAC First Team – Marcus Sasser
  • All-AAC Second Team – Jamal Shead

Roster

2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Marcus Sasser 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Red Oak HS Dallas, TX
G 1 Jamal Shead 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Manor HS Manor, TX
G 3 Ramon Walker Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Shadow Creek HS Pearland, TX
C 4 Darius Bowser 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) GS Charleston Southern Gaffney, SC
F 5 Ja'Vier Francis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Montverde Academy New Orleans, LA
G 12 Tramon Mark 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Dickinson HS Dickinson, TX
F 13 J'Wan Roberts 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Shoemaker HS Saint Thomas, USVI
G 20 Ryan Elvin (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Cedar Ridge HS Round Rock, TX
G 21 Emanuel Sharp 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Bishop McLaughlin CHS Tampa, FL
G 23 Terrance Arceneaux 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Beaumont United HS Beaumont, TX
G 24 Mylik Wilson Current redshirt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Texas Tech Rayville, LA
F 25 Jarace Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr IMG Academy New Freedom, PA
F 32 Reggie Chaney 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Arkansas Tulsa, OK
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: March 30, 2024

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 Northern Colorado W 83–36  1–0
  21 – Sasser   12 – J. Walker   9 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,042)
Houston, TX
November 11, 2022*
5:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 3 vs. Saint Joseph's
Veterans Classic 		W 81–55  2–0
  23 – J. Walker   12 – Roberts   8 – Shead  Alumni Hall (2,889)
Annapolis, MD
November 14, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 Oral Roberts
Cougar Classic 		W 83–45  3–0
  23 – Mark   11 – Francis   3 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,246)
Houston, TX
November 16, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 Texas Southern
Cougar Classic 		W 83–48  4–0
  20 – Sasser   6 – J. Walker   6 – tied  Fertitta Center (7,322)
Houston, TX
November 20, 2022*
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 3 at Oregon W 66–56  5–0
  16 – Sasser   6 – J. Walker   4 – Shead  Matthew Knight Arena (7,002)
Eugene, OR
November 26, 2022*
1:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 2 Kent State W 49–44  6–0
  19 – Sasser   14 – Roberts   3 – Mark  Fertitta Center (7,378)
Houston, TX
November 29, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 1 Norfolk State W 100–52  7–0
  25 – Sasser   8 – tied   11 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,308)
Houston, TX
December 3, 2022*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 1 vs. Saint Mary's
The Battleground 2k22 		W 53–48  8–0
  15 – Roberts   8 – Roberts   4 – Sasser  Dickies Arena (2,812)
Fort Worth, TX
December 6, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 1 North Florida W 76–42  9–0
  14 – Francis   10 – J. Walker   10 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,283)
Houston, TX
December 10, 2022*
2:00 p.m., ABC 		No. 1 No. 8 Alabama L 65–71  9–1
  19 – Shead   9 – Roberts   3 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,718)
Houston, TX
December 13, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 5 North Carolina A&T W 74–46  10–1
  17 – tied   15 – Francis   4 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,268)
Houston, TX
December 17, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 5 at No. 2 Virginia W 69–61  11–1
  17 – J. Walker   7 – J. Walker   4 – tied  John Paul Jones Arena (14,629)
Charlottesville, VA
December 21, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 McNeese W 83–44  12–1
  23 – Francis   13 – Francis   9 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,418)
Houston, TX
AAC Regular Season
December 28, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 3 at Tulsa W 89–50  13–1
(1–0) 		 15 – Roberts   9 – Roberts   5 – Sasser  Reynolds Center (4,807)
Tulsa, OK
December 31, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 UCF W 71–65  14–1
(2–0) 		 19 – Mark   7 – Francis   4 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,457)
Houston, TX
January 5, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 2 SMU
Rivalry 		W 87–53  15–1
(3–0) 		 23 – J. Walker   10 – J. Walker   7 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (7,478)
Houston, TX
January 8, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 2 at Cincinnati W 72–59  16–1
(4–0) 		 21 – J. Walker   11 – Roberts   5 – Mark  Fifth Third Arena (10,264)
Cincinnati, OH
January 11, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 1 South Florida W 83–77  17–1
(5–0) 		 31 – Sasser   6 – tied   4 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (7,473)
Houston, TX
January 17, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 1 at Tulane W 80–60  18–1
(6–0) 		 23 – Sasser   9 – J. Walker   7 – Shead  Devlin Fieldhouse (3,621)
New Orleans, LA
January 22, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 1 Temple L 55–56  18–2
(6–1) 		 13 – Shead   12 – J. Walker   5 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (7,484)
Houston, TX
January 25, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 at UCF W 82–71  19–2
(7–1) 		 18 – Sharp   9 – Roberts   10 – Shead  Addition Financial Arena (9,383)
Orlando, FL
January 28, 2023
1:15 p.m., CBS 		No. 3 Cincinnati W 75–69  20–2
(8–1) 		 25 – J. Walker   7 – J. Walker   5 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,477)
Houston, TX
February 2, 2023
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 3 at Wichita State W 70–61  21–2
(9–1) 		 15 – tied   6 – tied   7 – Shead  Charles Koch Arena (7,274)
Wichita, KS
February 5, 2023
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 3 at Temple W 81–65  22–2
(10–1) 		 23 – J. Walker   6 – J. Walker   7 – Shead  Liacouras Center (10,206)
Philadelphia, PA
February 8, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 2 Tulsa W 80–42  23–2
(11–1) 		 25 – Sasser   10 – Roberts   12 – Shead  Fertitta Center (7,369)
Houston, TX
February 16, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 2 at SMU
Rivalry 		W 80–65  24–2
(12–1) 		 20 – Sasser   10 – Roberts   8 – Shead  Moody Coliseum (6,278)
University Park, TX
February 19, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 2 Memphis W 72–64  25–2
(13–1) 		 20 – tied   12 – Roberts   3 – J. Walker  Fertitta Center (7,730)
Houston, TX
February 22, 2023
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 1 Tulane W 89–59  26–2
(14–1) 		 26 – Roberts   13 – J. Walker   6 – tied  Fertitta Center (7,763)
Houston, TX
February 25, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 1 at East Carolina W 76–57  27–2
(15–1) 		 22 – Sasser   12 – Roberts   3 – tied  Williams Arena (7,589)
Greenville, NC
March 2, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 1 Wichita State W 83–66  28–2
(16–1) 		 25 – Shead   9 – J. Walker   4 – tied  Fertitta Center (7,879)
Houston, TX
March 5, 2023
11:00 a.m., CBS 		No. 1 at Memphis W 67–65  29–2
(17–1) 		 16 – tied   8 – Mark   7 – Shead  FedExForum (18,437)
Memphis, TN
AAC tournament
March 10, 2023
12:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(1) No. 1 vs. (9) East Carolina
Quarterfinals 		W 60–46  30–2
  30 – Sasser   12 – Roberts   4 – tied  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 11, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(1) No. 1 vs. (4) Cincinnati
Semifinals 		W 69–48  31–2
  16 – tied   8 – tied   9 – Shead  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2023
2:15 p.m., ESPN 		(1) No. 1 vs. (2) Memphis
Championship 		L 65–75  31–3
  16 – Shead   20 – Roberts   4 – Shead  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2023*
8:20 p.m., TNT 		(1 MW) No. 2 vs. (16 MW) Northern Kentucky
First Round 		W 63–52  32–3
  16 – J. Walker   12 – Roberts   6 – Shead  Legacy Arena (15,154)
Birmingham, AL
March 18, 2023*
6:10 p.m., TBS 		(1 MW) No. 2 vs. (9 MW) Auburn
Second Round 		W 81–64  33–3
  26 – Mark   10 – J. Walker   5 – Shead  Legacy Arena (15,198)
Birmingham, AL
March 24, 2023*
6:15 p.m., CBS 		(1 MW) No. 2 vs. (5 MW) No. 16 Miami (FL)
Sweet Sixteen 		L 75–89  33–4
  16 – J. Walker   11 – J. Walker   5 – tied  T-Mobile Center (17,429)
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[10]

Rankings

See also: 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP3 (1)3 (2)2 (9)1 (45)1 (37)53321 (34)1 (34)332 (22)2 (22)1 (48)1 (49)1 (58)2 (9)Not released
Coaches3 (1)3 (2)2 (7)1 (23)1 (21)4332 (2)1 (14)1 (17)332 (13)2 (15)1 (24)1 (27)1 (29)1 (21)6

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

Awards and honors

All-American

  • Marcus Sasser – AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), SN (2nd)

Jerry West Award

  • Marcus Sasser

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

All-AAC First Team

  • Marcus Sasser

All-AAC Second Team

  • Jamal Shead
  • J'Wan Roberts
  • Jarace Walker

All-Freshman Team

  • Jarace Walker
  • Terrance Arceneaux
  • Emanuel Sharp

Source[11]

References

  1. ^ "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Deal lets Cincy, Houston, UCF join Big 12 in 2023". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Beames, Caleb (April 20, 2022). "SFA men's basketball sees roster changes after first WAC season". KLTV. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "NBA Announces Early Entry Candidates for NBA Draft 2022". National Basketball Association. April 26, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Sokeland, Kyle; Magley, Hendrix (August 26, 2022). "Former Bosse standout Kiyron Powell is coming home to play for USI basketball". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  7. ^ Conrad, Jeff (June 3, 2022). "Mylik Wilson Signs with Men's Basketball". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Darius Bowser Joins Men's Basketball Program". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. August 4, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Houston Picked as 2022-23 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.