2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball
AAC tournament champions
AAC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 15
Record32–6 (15–3 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • K.C. Beard
  • Kellen Sampson
  • Quannas White
Home arenaFertitta Center
2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 15 Houston153 .833326  .842
SMU134 .765249  .727
Memphis135 .7222211  .667
Temple107 .5881712  .586
Tulane108 .5561415  .483
UCF99 .5001812  .600
Wichita State69 .4001513  .536
Cincinnati711 .3891815  .545
East Carolina611 .3531515  .500
Tulsa414 .2221120  .355
South Florida315 .167823  .258
2022 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

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

Houston finished its 2021–22 regular season with an overall record of 26–5. They were regular-season champions of the American Conference with a record of 15–3 in conference play. They entered the conference tournament as the #1 seed and proceeded to win the tournament, defeating Memphis 71–53 in the final. The Cougars entered the NCAA tournament as the #5 seed in the South Regional. Houston went 3–1 in the tournament, reaching the Elite Eight before falling 44–50 to Villanova in the regional final.

Houston finished the season with a record of 32–6 and a ranking of #7 in the final Coaches Poll.

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, where they lost to eventual national champions Baylor.

Offseason

Departing players

Houston Departing Players
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Caleb Mills2G6'3"180Redshirt SophomoreArden, NCTransferred to Florida State (mid-season)[1]
DeJon Jarreau3G6'5"185Redshirt SeniorNew Orleans, LAGraduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft[lower-alpha 1]
Justin Gorham4F6'7"225Redshirt SeniorBaltimore, MDGraduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft[lower-alpha 1]
Cameron Tyson5G6'2"190Redshirt SophomoreBothell, WATransferred to Seattle[2]
Quentin Grimes24G6'5"205JuniorThe Woodlands, TXDeclared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers[3]
Brison Gresham55F/C6'8"230Redshirt SeniorNew Orleans, LAGraduate transferred to Texas Southern[4]
  1. 1 2 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]4G6'5"195Graduate StudentSouthaven, MSCSU Bakersfield1October 1, 2021
Kyler Edwards[6]11G6'4"205SeniorArlington, TXTexas Tech2October 1, 2021
Josh Carlton[7]25F/C6'10"245Graduate StudentWinterville, NCUConn1October 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 October 1, 2020.

2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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:

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)
1Houston98 (8)
2Memphis92 (3)
3SMU77
4Wichita State76
5UCF66
6Cincinnati52
7Tulsa43
8Temple37
T-9South Florida25
T-9Tulane25
11East Carolina14

Preseason Awards

  • All-AAC First Team - Marcus Sasser

Roster

2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Marcus Sasser 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrRed Oak Dallas, TX
G 1 Jamal Shead 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoManor Manor, TX
G 2 Robbie Armbrester 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrWasatch Academy Atlanta, GA
G 3 Ramon Walker Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrShadow Creek Pearland, TX
G 4 Taze Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) GSCSU Bakersfield Southaven, MS
F 5 Ja'Vier Francis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrMontverde Academy New Orleans, LA
G 11 Kyler Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrTexas Tech Arlington, TX
G 12 Tramon Mark 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) SoDickinson Dickinson, TX
F 13 J'Wan Roberts 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS SoShoemaker Saint Thomas, VI
G 20 Ryan Elvin (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)165 lb (75 kg) SoCedar Ridge Round Rock, TX
F/C 25 Josh Carlton 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) GSUConn Winterville, NC
F 32 Reggie Chaney 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrArkansas Tulsa, OK
F 35 Fabian White Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) GSAtascocita Atascocita, TX
C 52 Kiyron Powell Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoBenjamin 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 Hofstra 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 (3,391)
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 (2,901)
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 (1,800)
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
January 2, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 12 at Temple W 66–61  12–2
(1–0)
 15  White Jr.  14  White Jr.  6  Shead  Liacouras Center (3,229)
Philadelphia, PA
January 5, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 12 at South Florida W 83–66  13–2
(2–0)
 30  Carlton  11  Carlton  8  Edwards  Yuengling Center (2,291)
Tampa, FL
January 8, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS
No. 12 Wichita State W 76–66  14–2
(3–0)
 22  Carlton  12  Carlton  7  Shead  Fertitta Center (7,051)
Houston, TX
January 15, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 11 at Tulsa W 66–64  15–2
(4–0)
 29  Edwards  11  Moore  3  Edwards  Reynolds Center (3,349)
Tulsa, OK
January 18, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 10 South Florida W 74–55  16–2
(5–0)
 23  Edwards  7  Edwards  5  Shead  Fertitta Center (6,959)
Houston, TX
January 22, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 10 East Carolina W 79–36  17–2
(6–0)
 25  Edwards  9  Carlton  7  Edwards  Fertitta Center (7,287)
Houston, TX
January 29, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 at UCF W 63–49  18–2
(7–0)
 17  Edwards  15  Carlton  4  Edwards  Addition Financial Arena (8,142)
Orlando, FL
February 2, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 6 Tulane W 73–62  19–2
(8–0)
 21  White Jr.  9  Carlton  6  Tied  Fertitta Center (7,312)
Houston, TX
February 6, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 at Cincinnati W 80–58  20–2
(9–0)
 22  White Jr.  9  White Jr.  6  Shead  Fifth Third Arena (11,742)
Cincinnati, OH
February 9, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 at SMU
Rivalry
L 83–85  20–3
(9–1)
 17  Tied  13  White Jr.  12  Shead  Moody Coliseum (5,247)
University Park, TX
February 12, 2022
2:30 p.m., ABC
No. 6 Memphis L 59–69  20–4
(9–2)
 15  Tied  8  Moore  4  Moore  Fertitta Center (7,450)
Houston, TX
February 17, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 14 UCF W 70–52  21–4
(10–2)
 14  Moore  10  Carlton  8  Shead  Fertitta Center (6,957)
Houston, TX
February 20, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 14 at Wichita State W 76–74 2OT 22–4
(11–2)
 23  Carlton  11  Carlton  9  Shead  Charles Koch Arena (9,070)
Wichita, KS
February 23, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 14 at Tulane W 81–67  23–4
(12–2)
 21  Edwards  11  Roberts  7  Shead  Devlin Fieldhouse (2,707)
New Orleans, LA
February 27, 2022
11:30 a.m., ESPN
No. 14 SMU
Rivalry
W 75–61  24–4
(13–2)
 21  White Jr.  9  White Jr.  11  Shead  Fertitta Center (7,603)
Houston, TX
March 1, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 14 Cincinnati
Previously scheduled for Dec. 28
W 71–53  25–4
(14–2)
 28  White Jr.  10  White Jr.  4  Edwards  Fertitta Center (7,598)
Houston, TX
March 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 14 Temple W 84–46  26–4
(15–2)
 26  White Jr.  8  Carlton  13  Shead  Fertitta Center (7,562)
Houston, TX
March 6, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS
No. 14 at Memphis L 61–75  26–5
(15–3)
 19  Edwards  7  Edwards  8  Shead  FedExForum (17,946)
Memphis, TN
AAC Tournament
March 11, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
(1) No. 18 vs. (8) Cincinnati
Quarterfinals
W 69–56  27–5
 18  White Jr.  8  White Jr.  7  Shead  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN2
(1) No. 18 vs. (5) Tulane
Semifinals
W 86–66  28–5
 20  Edwards  13  Roberts  8  Edwards  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 13, 2022
2:15 p.m., ESPN
(1) No. 18 vs. (3) Memphis
Championship
W 71–53  29–5
 20  White Jr.  11  Edwards  8  Moore  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022*
8:40 p.m., TNT
(5 S) No. 15 vs. (12 S) UAB
First Round
W 82–68  30–5
 25  Edwards  7  Edwards  7  Shead  PPG Paints Arena (17,410)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 20, 2022*
11:10 a.m., CBS
(5 S) No. 15 vs. (4 S) No. 19 Illinois
Second Round
W 68–53  31–5
 21  Moore  7  Tied  4  Edwards  PPG Paints Arena (18,506)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 24, 2022*
8:55 p.m., TBS
(5 S) No. 15 vs. (1 S) No. 2 Arizona
Sweet Sixteen
W 72–60  32–5
 21  Shead  7  Carlton  6  Shead  AT&T Center (17,357)
San Antonio, TX
March 26, 2022*
5:09 p.m., TBS
(5 S) No. 15 vs. (2 S) No. 6 Villanova
Elite Eight
L 44–50  32–6
 15  Moore  10  Moore  4  Edwards  AT&T Center (17,186)
San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[11]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP151512151414131212111066141414т1815Not released
Coaches1414^11141313141414111099715151418157

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

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

All-AAC First Team

  • Josh Carlton
  • Fabian White Jr.

All-AAC Second Team

  • Kyler Edwards

All-AAC Third Team

  • Jamal Shead

Source[12]

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 (July 14, 2021). "Texas Southern lands former UH Cougar Brison Gresham Forward". click2houston.com. KPRC-TV. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  5. "Houston Signs Guard Taze Moore". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  6. Yanez, Andy (April 14, 2021). "Texas Tech guard Kyler Edwards transferring to UH". thedailycougar.com. The Daily Cougar. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  7. Mavredakis, Mike (March 25, 2021). "Josh Carlton headed to Houston as grad transfer". theuconnblog.com. The UConn Blog. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  8. "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  9. @Joseph_Duarte (December 22, 2021). "Houston's Tramon Mark to miss rest of season after shoulder surgery" (Tweet). Retrieved December 22, 2021 via Twitter.
  10. @Joseph_Duarte (December 25, 2021). "UH's Marcus Sasser to miss rest of season" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2021 via Twitter.
  11. "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  12. "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
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