Houston Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Cougars

Outlook and expectations for the Cougars

The outlook for the Houston Cougars should consist of two words: national title. They have all the components it takes: experience, talent, coaching, and few weaknesses. Sampson has built a culture where you know what you'll get when you play them, a tough-nosed brand of basketball built on defense, and a team that rebounds better than anyone in the country.

As good as Houston has been, they aren’t a team without their warts or questions. We know they will rebound and defend, but they can struggle offensively having scored just 73 points per game last season. When you have trouble scoring and playing at one of the slowest paces in the country, that can lead to some issues if you don’t make shots. This could continue to be a problem for the Cougars, with Uzan stepping in for Shead, he will need to improve defensively and the offense may have to run through Cryer more than in the past because Uzan isn’t the scorer or playmaker that Shead was.

Given Houston’s talent, these question marks may seem small, but they are key. If Uzan can step in with minimal hiccups and injured returners Arceneaux and Tugler can add the much-needed depth, this could be the squad that gets Sampson and the Cougars over the hump.