NCAA Basketball: Duke, Gonzaga, and WVU rise in latest WTE ’23-24 power rankings

7. Houston Cougars

After years of dominating the AAC, the Cougars are off to the Big 12. The big question for them is is the roster good enough to compete out the gate? Entering the offseason, there was some work to do. They lost leading scorer Marcus Sasser to the NBA Draft, along with freshman forward, Jarace Walker. Double-digit scorer Tramon Mark is now at Arkansas as well.

But thanks to the program being an NCAA Basketball powerhouse, Houston was able to land two star transfers via the portal. The first was Damian Dunn, who averaged 15.3 ppg and 3.0 apg at Temple and shot a career-high 35% from deep. He dropped 38 points in overtime against Vanderbilt and while there are efficiency concerns, the 6’5 guard can score in bunches when hot.

The other newcomer already knows the Big 12 very well in LJ Cryer. He averaged 15.0 ppg and is a career-43% three-point shooter during his time at Baylor. He’s a more efficient shooter but like Dunn, can score at a high clip as well.

Assuming Jamal Shead comes back from the NBA Draft process, Houston’s roster will be right up there with the best of the Big 12 next season. Look out for guards Emanuel Sharp and Terrance Arceneaux to have potential breakout campaigns as well as to continue the quality backcourt depth.