Houston Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Cougars

Mar 29, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Cougars center Cedric Lath (2) and guard Ramon Walker Jr. (3) react on the bench during the second half in the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Key reserves

Houston’s depth has length in spades with just two players, senior Mylik Wilson and freshman Kordelius Jefferson measuring shorter than 6’4. Joseph Tugler should be the next in line of tough, physical athletic forwards for Houston. Tugler will be looking to build on a solid freshman campaign. The Cougars also get a couple of additions to add to their frontcourt depth. Terrence Arceneaux returns from an Achilles injury, and redshirt freshman Jacob McFarland, a 6-11 big man, could also see minutes.

Last season, Sharp, Cryer, and Uzon were incredibly durable, playing in every game for their teams. But, playing deep into March, that is a lot of minutes on those bodies, so having Arceneaux back and his ability to take some of those minutes will help in the long run. Also helping should be Wilson, and the 20 or so minutes per game he provided last season, along with senior Ramon Walker, Jr., will likely see sparing relief minutes in the backcourt.

Houston’s bench strength is clearly in the frontcourt which makes sense for a team that is such an elite rebounding team. Having a guy like Arceneaux back for a full season and McFarland a former top-100 recruit could pay big dividends for the Cougars down the stretch.

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