Houston Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Cougars

Houston Basketball returns in 2023-24 after running the tables in the AAC as regular season and conference tournament champions looking to continue their success under head Kelvin Sampson. The stakes will be raised a lot higher for Houston though, as they join the Big 12 ranks looking to make a splash right away alongside Cincinnati, BYU and UCF as newcomers to the conference.

The Cougars boasted the second-ranked scoring defense nationally this past season, allowing just 57.5 ppg. They earned a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of last year’s NCAA Tournament before finishing 33-4 on the year and 17-1 in conference action. They lost to Miami in last year’s Sweet 16 and with some unfinished business, there’s room for them to really emerge on the offensive end.

Their top three scorers from a season ago are gone in Jarace Walker, Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, but the additions of Damian Dunn (Temple) and L.J. Cryer (Baylor) out of the transfer portal should fill the voids. Houston returns six players from last year’s squad and adds four freshmen to the fold as they look to compete in one of the best conferences in college basketball.

Coach Sampson will certainly have his hands full this season with the potential of playing the duo of Cryer and Dunn with the returning trio of J’wan Roberts, Jamal Shead and Terrance Arceneaux. One thing’s certain, they’ll bring the same defensive intensity that made them great in the AAC. Now, they’ll look to infiltrate the Big 12 with a similar presence. Take a look at the 2023-24 season preview for the Houston Cougars in their inaugural season in a new conference.