Houston Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Cougars

Season Outlook

Last season, the Cougars’ only regular-season losses were road games at East Carolina, Tulsa, and Wichita State. Every team plays bad games during the season, and this year’s nonconference slate is certainly tougher, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Houston coast through much of this schedule. Those road games at Alabama and Memphis present the biggest challenge, in addition to their final opponent in the Maui Invitational.

While their Final Four run marked a great step forward for the program, it is important to note that it may have been a fluke. These Cougars were by no means undeserving of that glory, but they did become the first team to make the Final Four by defeating four double-digit seeds. However, it’s not Houston’s fault that there are upsets in their region; they simply took care of business before running into a much better team in Baylor.

This year’s team may not look on paper likely of a return to the Final Four, but it’s hard to know just for sure what to expect in the preseason. This team could certainly win the AAC again and will be favored to finish top 2 in the conference for the fifth straight season. Last year, the Cougars were one of the best teams in the nation in grabbing offensive rebounds and restricting interior offense, a trend that could continue if those young forwards take the next step forward.

Houston is becoming one of the top programs in the nation, especially fresh off that Final Four run. While Sampson’s recruiting hasn’t exactly looked top-notch, his ability to develop talented forwards and Houston’s ability to put together efficient offenses year after year has been fantastic for this program.

Expect the defense to be phenomenal again; we’ll just have to see how some of these younger scorers develop as the season progresses. You’ll see Houston in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, perhaps making another deep run in the second or third weekend again.