3. Houston (7-3)
Basketball for the Cougars has taken a phenomenal jump forward this last decade since Kelvin Sampson was brought to town. An utter afterthought in the CUSA and AAC, Houston has become a national contender in recent years and is fresh off a few runs deep into the NCAA Tournament. This team transitioned into the Big 12 last season and won the league in their first season, but do they have a similar run in them this year?
With recent stars like Jamal Shead and Marcus Sasser no longer on campus, the Cougars are leaning heavily on LJ Cryer, the senior guard who’s put up great production in recent years and is just shy of 15 points a game this season. Aiding him in a talented backcourt is a trio of juniors in Terrance Arceneaux, Emanuel Sharp, and former Oklahoma guard Milos Uzan. It’s been decent production out of the frontcourt led by J’Wan Roberts, though those guards are the ones getting the job done on offense.
A tough loss to Auburn in the opening week undermined Houston’s heavy preseason expectations. The Cougars then lost a pair of games in Las Vegas at the Players Era Festival, falling to talented Alabama and San Diego State squads in overtime. This team is dominant on defense and has made quick work of several teams, but their best wins right now are Butler and Notre Dame and that has to change in the coming weeks.
No team in the nation is allowing fewer points per game than Houston. This defense averages under 50 points allowed in their seven wins, though the trouble has come in those other games. All in all, they need even more out of Cryer, needing him to live up to those recent All-American performances if they’re going to have a chance at national glory. For now, this elite defense will be tested regularly in the Big 12 and we’ll see soon if they hold up; though we expect great things yet again from Sampson’s squad.