Big 12 Basketball: Introducing 4 new official members for 2023-24 season

Houston Cougars

Coming off a season where the Cougars were a No. 1 seed but fell in the Sweet Sixteen, they had two players, Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, Kelvin Sampson had to reload the roster for their first season in the Big 12

. According to 247Sports, the Cougars welcome the 23rd-best class in the country which is headlined by a pair of four-star big men, Joseph Tugler, a 6’7 multi-positional swingman, and Jacob McFarland, a 6’10 big man from California. Sampson also did some work in the portal adding guard Damian Dunn who averaged 15 points. 3.7 rebounds and three assists at Temple last season.

He also added someone familiar with his new conference. LJ Cryer notched 15 points and shot 41% from deep for the Baylor Bears last season, giving the Cougars a versatile guard with the ability to knock down the long ball, something Houston struggled with, shooting 34% last season.

The Cougars are the only team in the conference that doesn’t currently have a senior on their roster, but with juniors Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts returning, as well as potential rising sophomores Emanuel Sharp and Terrance Arceneaux, the Cougars seem well equipped for their first year in the Big 12.