5. Houston Cougars
Likely departures
- Kingston Flemings (16.1 ppg and 5.2 apg)
- Emanuel Sharp (15.5 ppg and 3.0 rpg)
- Milos Uzan (11.1 ppg and 4.0 apg)
- Isaiah Harwell (3.6 ppg and 2.0 rpg)
- Kalif Sakho (2.4 ppg and 2.6 rpg)
- Chris Cenac (9.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg)
Likely returnees
- Joseph Tugler (8.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg)
- Mercy Miller (5.0 ppg and 1.8 rpg)
- Chase McCarty (4.1 ppg and 2.5 rpg)
Roster additions
- Dedan Thomas Jr. (15.3 ppg and 6.3 apg at LSU)
- Corey Hadnot II (20.4 ppg and 3.5 apg at Purdue Fort Wayne)
- Delrecco Gillespie (17.7 ppg and 11.3 rpg at Kent State)
- Braden East (12.8 ppg and 9.1 rpg at Lamar)
- Ikenna Alozie (4-star guard prospect)
- Arafan Diane (5-star center prospect)
There weren’t any surprises with Houston’s roster moves, with 5-star freshmen, Flemings and Cenac, going to the NBA Draft. The one key guy who did opt to return is Tugler, a former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, who is back for his senior season. Joining him in the frontcourt is Gillespie, who was third in all of college basketball in rebounding last year.
The revamped backcourt will determine whether Houston can remain a top-10 caliber team. Thomas was injured at LSU but is still one of the more prolific lead guards in the country, while Hadnot is coming off a breakout campaign, leading all of the Horizon League in scoring. Can that duo defend as well as past Cougar guards? If so, they’ll be a Big 12 contender again.
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