Houston Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Cougars

There were rumblings about how Houston would handle life in the Big 12. Those uncertainties were answered with resounding actions: a regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars have become a national brand as one of the top programs year in and year out in college basketball.

The next step in that evolution for Houston is success in March, which has eluded them thus far despite the gaudy records and seeds. As a No. 1 seed the last two seasons, the Cougars have fallen in the Sweet Sixteen by a total of 17 points. After years of success in the American and a dominant opening salvo in their Big 12 debut, it’s time for the Cougars to break through and show they can be more than just another high-level program in the landscape of college basketball. Winning a national title would move them to an even higher echelon than they sit now.

The Cougars’ offseason was relatively quiet as their roster was left untouched for the most part, losing just one transfer, Damien Dunn, and arguably their best player and one of the best point guards in the country, Jamal Shead, left for the NBA draft. Returning an elite roster means expectations will and should remain sky-high for the Cougars. But, now that the questions about adjusting to the Big 12 have been answered, the only question left unanswered for Houston is whether the Cougars come up with results in March that match those expectations and gaudy regular-season numbers.