2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball
2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball
AAC tournament champions; AAC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 15
Record	32–6 (15–3 AAC)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (8th season);
Assistant coaches	K.C. Beard; Kellen Sampson; Quannas White;
Home arena	Fertitta Center
	Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

The 2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by eighth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team played their home games at the Fertitta Center as members of the American Athletic Conference.

2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 15 Houston †	15	–	3	.833	32	–	6	.842
SMU	13	–	4	.765	24	–	9	.727
Memphis	13	–	5	.722	22	–	11	.667
Temple	10	–	7	.588	17	–	12	.586
Tulane	10	–	8	.556	14	–	15	.483
UCF	9	–	9	.500	18	–	12	.600
Wichita State	6	–	9	.400	15	–	13	.536
Cincinnati	7	–	11	.389	18	–	15	.545
East Carolina	6	–	11	.353	15	–	15	.500
Tulsa	4	–	14	.222	11	–	20	.355
South Florida	3	–	15	.167	8	–	23	.258

† 2022 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Houston finished its 2021–22 regular season with an overall record of 26–5. They were regular-season champions of the American Conference with a record of 15–3 in conference play. They entered the conference tournament as the #1 seed and proceeded to win the tournament, defeating Memphis 71–53 in the final. The Cougars entered the NCAA tournament as the #5 seed in the South Regional. Houston went 3–1 in the tournament, reaching the Elite Eight before falling 44–50 to Villanova in the regional final.

Houston finished the season with a record of 32–6 and a ranking of #7 in the final Coaches Poll.

Previous season

Houston finished the 2020–21 regular season 21–3, 14–3 in AAC play, finishing in second place for the regular season. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the AAC tournament, which the Cougars would go on to win for the first time to clinch an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. They were selected as a #2 seed in the Midwest Region. The team advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1984, where they lost to eventual national champions Baylor.

Offseason

Departing players

Houston departing players
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Caleb Mills	2	G	6'3"	180	Sophomore	Arden, NC	Transferred to Florida State (mid-season)^[1]
DeJon Jarreau	3	G	6'5"	185	Senior	New Orleans, LA	Graduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft^[a]
Justin Gorham	4	F	6'7"	225	Senior	Baltimore, MD	Graduated; declared for the 2021 NBA draft^[a]
Cameron Tyson	5	G	6'2"	190	Sophomore	Bothell, WA	Transferred to Seattle^[2]
Quentin Grimes	24	G	6'5"	205	Junior	The Woodlands, TX	Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers^[3]
Brison Gresham	55	F/C	6'8"	230	Senior	New Orleans, LA	Graduate transferred to Texas Southern^[4]

^ ^a ^b For the 2021 draft only, the NBA and its players union agreed that seniors would have to declare themselves eligible for the draft. This was an aftereffect of the NCAA's announcement that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any participant in the organization's winter sports, including basketball. This in turn meant that every senior in the 2020–21 season had remaining eligibility.

Incoming transfers

Houston incoming transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school	Years remaining	Date eligible
Tazé Moore^[5]	4	G	6'5"	195	Graduate student	Southaven, MS	CSU Bakersfield	1	October 1, 2021
Kyler Edwards^[6]	11	G	6'4"	205	Senior	Arlington, TX	Texas Tech	2	October 1, 2021
Josh Carlton^[7]	25	F/C	6'10"	245	Graduate student	Winterville, NC	UConn	1	October 1, 2021

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ramon Walker Jr. SF	Pearland, TX	Shadow Creek High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	May 20, 2020
Ramon Walker Jr. SF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76
Robbie Armbrester PF	Atlanta, GA	Wasatch Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sep 7, 2020
Robbie Armbrester PF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77
Ja'Vier Francis C	New Orleans, LA	Montverde Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 27, 2020
Ja'Vier Francis C	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 29
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Emanuel Sharp SG	Tampa, FL	Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	May 13, 2021
Emanuel Sharp SG	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82
Terrance Arceneaux SF	Beaumont, TX	Beaumont United High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sep 17, 2021
Terrance Arceneaux SF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83
Jarace Walker PF / SF	New Freedom, PA	IMG Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Nov 4, 2021
Jarace Walker PF / SF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 12
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason poll and other preseason awards.^[8]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Coaches Poll
1	Houston	98 (8)
2	Memphis	92 (3)
3	SMU	77
4	Wichita State	76
5	UCF	66
6	Cincinnati	52
7	Tulsa	43
8	Temple	37
T-9	South Florida	25
T-9	Tulane	25
11	East Carolina	14

Preseason awards

All-AAC First Team – Marcus Sasser

Roster

2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Marcus Sasser	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Red Oak HS	Dallas, TX
G	1	Jamal Shead	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Manor HS	Manor, TX
G	2	Robbie Armbrester	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Fr	Wasatch Academy	Atlanta, GA
G	3	Ramon Walker Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	Shadow Creek HS	Pearland, TX
G	4	Tazé Moore	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	GS	CSU Bakersfield	Southaven, MS
F	5	Ja'Vier Francis	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Fr	Montverde Academy	New Orleans, LA
G	11	Kyler Edwards	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Sr	Texas Tech	Arlington, TX
G	12	Tramon Mark	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Dickinson HS	Dickinson, TX
F	13	J'Wan Roberts	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	RS So	Shoemaker HS	Saint Thomas, USVI
G	20	Ryan Elvin (W)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	So	Cedar Ridge HS	Round Rock, TX
F/C	25	Josh Carlton	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	GS	UConn	Winterville, NC
F	32	Reggie Chaney	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Sr	Arkansas	Tulsa, OK
F	35	Fabian White Jr.	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	GS	Atascocita HS	Atascocita, TX
C	52	Kiyron Powell	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Benjamin Bosse HS	Evansville, IN

Head coach

Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke)

Assistant coach(es)

K.C. Beard (Boise State)
Kellen Sampson (Oklahoma)
Quannas White (Oklahoma)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: July 6, 2021

December 22, 2021 – Tramon Mark had shoulder surgery, leading him to miss the rest of the season.^[9]
December 24, 2021 – Marcus Sasser announced he would miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury.^[10]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 6, 2021* 3:00 p.m.	No. 15	Montana Tech	W 78–51		21 – Sasser	9 – White Jr.	7 – Shead	Fertitta Center Houston, TX
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 15	Hofstra	W 83–75 ^OT	1–0	25 – Sasser	15 – Roberts	3 – Tied	Fertitta Center (6,883) Houston, TX
November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 15	Rice Rivalry	W 79–46	2–0	26 – Sasser	9 – Roberts	5 – Sasser	Fertitta Center (6,967) Houston, TX
November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 15	Virginia	W 67–47	3–0	19 – Sasser	8 – White Jr.	4 – Sasser	Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX
November 22, 2021* 3:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 12	vs. Butler Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinal	W 70–52	4–0	21 – White Jr.	8 – White Jr.	4 – Edwards	Michelob Ultra Arena (2,937) Paradise, NV
November 23, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 12	vs. Wisconsin Maui Invitational Tournament semifinal	L 63–65	4–1	18 – Edwards	6 – Roberts	5 – Shead	Michelob Ultra Arena (3,391) Paradise, NV
November 24, 2021* 1:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 12	vs. Oregon Maui Invitational Tournament 3rd-place game	W 78–49	5–1	15 – White Jr.	7 – White Jr.	6 – Shead	Michelob Ultra Arena (2,901) Paradise, NV
November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 15	Northwestern State	W 99–58	6–1	26 – Sasser	8 – White Jr.	9 – Shead	Fertitta Center (6,639) Houston, TX
December 3, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 15	Bryant	W 111–44	7–1	22 – Mark	12 – Roberts	4 – Tied	Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX
December 6, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 14	Alcorn State	W 77–45	8–1	18 – Mark	7 – Edwards	11 – Shead	Fertitta Center (6,649) Houston, TX
December 11, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 14	at No. 9 Alabama	L 82–83	8–2	25 – Sasser	13 – Roberts	3 – Shead	Coleman Coliseum (10,613) Tuscaloosa, AL
December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 14	Louisiana	W 71–56	9–2	17 – Carlton	10 – Moore	5 – Shead	Fertitta Center (6,955) Houston, TX
December 18, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 14	vs. Oklahoma State Hoop Hype XL College Basketball Showcase	W 72–61	10–2	18 – Shead	11 – Carlton	8 – Shead	Dickies Arena (1,800) Fort Worth, TX
December 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 13	Texas State	W 80–47	11–2	20 – Carlton	5 – Tied	10 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,488) Houston, TX
AAC regular season
January 2, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 12	at Temple	W 66–61	12–2 (1–0)	15 – White Jr.	14 – White Jr.	6 – Shead	Liacouras Center (3,229) Philadelphia, PA
January 5, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 12	at South Florida	W 83–66	13–2 (2–0)	30 – Carlton	11 – Carlton	8 – Edwards	Yuengling Center (2,291) Tampa, FL
January 8, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS	No. 12	Wichita State	W 76–66	14–2 (3–0)	22 – Carlton	12 – Carlton	7 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX
January 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 11	at Tulsa	W 66–64	15–2 (4–0)	29 – Edwards	11 – Moore	3 – Edwards	Reynolds Center (3,349) Tulsa, OK
January 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 10	South Florida	W 74–55	16–2 (5–0)	23 – Edwards	7 – Edwards	5 – Shead	Fertitta Center (6,959) Houston, TX
January 22, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 10	East Carolina	W 79–36	17–2 (6–0)	25 – Edwards	9 – Carlton	7 – Edwards	Fertitta Center (7,287) Houston, TX
January 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 7	at UCF	W 63–49	18–2 (7–0)	17 – Edwards	15 – Carlton	4 – Edwards	Addition Financial Arena (8,142) Orlando, FL
February 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 6	Tulane	W 73–62	19–2 (8–0)	21 – White Jr.	9 – Carlton	6 – Tied	Fertitta Center (7,312) Houston, TX
February 6, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 6	at Cincinnati	W 80–58	20–2 (9–0)	22 – White Jr.	9 – White Jr.	6 – Shead	Fifth Third Arena (11,742) Cincinnati, OH
February 9, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 6	at SMU Rivalry	L 83–85	20–3 (9–1)	17 – Tied	13 – White Jr.	12 – Shead	Moody Coliseum (5,247) University Park, TX
February 12, 2022 2:30 p.m., ABC	No. 6	Memphis	L 59–69	20–4 (9–2)	15 – Tied	8 – Moore	4 – Moore	Fertitta Center (7,450) Houston, TX
February 17, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 14	UCF	W 70–52	21–4 (10–2)	14 – Moore	10 – Carlton	8 – Shead	Fertitta Center (6,957) Houston, TX
February 20, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 14	at Wichita State	W 76–74 ^2OT	22–4 (11–2)	23 – Carlton	11 – Carlton	9 – Shead	Charles Koch Arena (9,070) Wichita, KS
February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 14	at Tulane	W 81–67	23–4 (12–2)	21 – Edwards	11 – Roberts	7 – Shead	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,707) New Orleans, LA
February 27, 2022 11:30 a.m., ESPN	No. 14	SMU Rivalry	W 75–61	24–4 (13–2)	21 – White Jr.	9 – White Jr.	11 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,603) Houston, TX
March 1, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 14	Cincinnati Previously scheduled for Dec. 28	W 71–53	25–4 (14–2)	28 – White Jr.	10 – White Jr.	4 – Edwards	Fertitta Center (7,598) Houston, TX
March 3, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 14	Temple	W 84–46	26–4 (15–2)	26 – White Jr.	8 – Carlton	13 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,562) Houston, TX
March 6, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS	No. 14	at Memphis	L 61–75	26–5 (15–3)	19 – Edwards	7 – Edwards	8 – Shead	FedExForum (17,946) Memphis, TN
AAC tournament
March 11, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN2	(1) No. 18	vs. (8) Cincinnati Quarterfinals	W 69–56	27–5	18 – White Jr.	8 – White Jr.	7 – Shead	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN2	(1) No. 18	vs. (5) Tulane Semifinals	W 86–66	28–5	20 – Edwards	13 – Roberts	8 – Edwards	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
March 13, 2022 2:15 p.m., ESPN	(1) No. 18	vs. (3) Memphis Championship	W 71–53	29–5	20 – White Jr.	11 – Edwards	8 – Moore	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022* 8:40 p.m., TNT	(5 S) No. 15	vs. (12 S) UAB First Round	W 82–68	30–5	25 – Edwards	7 – Edwards	7 – Shead	PPG Paints Arena (17,410) Pittsburgh, PA
March 20, 2022* 11:10 a.m., CBS	(5 S) No. 15	vs. (4 S) No. 19 Illinois Second Round	W 68–53	31–5	21 – Moore	7 – Tied	4 – Edwards	PPG Paints Arena (18,506) Pittsburgh, PA
March 24, 2022* 8:55 p.m., TBS	(5 S) No. 15	vs. (1 S) No. 2 Arizona Sweet Sixteen	W 72–60	32–5	21 – Shead	7 – Carlton	6 – Shead	AT&T Center (17,357) San Antonio, TX
March 26, 2022* 5:09 p.m., TBS	(5 S) No. 15	vs. (2 S) No. 6 Villanova Elite Eight	L 44–50	32–6	15 – Moore	10 – Moore	4 – Edwards	AT&T Center (17,186) San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[11]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	15	15	12	15	14	14	13	12	12	11	10	7т	6	6	14	14	14т	18	15	Not released
Coaches	14	14^	11	14	13	13	14	14	14	11	10	9	9	7	15	15	14	18	15	7

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.
^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson

All-AAC First Team

Josh Carlton
Fabian White Jr.

All-AAC Second Team

Kyler Edwards

All-AAC Third Team

Jamal Shead

Source^[12]

References

^ Weiler, Curt (January 12, 2021). "FSU basketball lands commitment from Houston transfer Caleb Mills". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
^ "Cameron Tyson Commits to Seattle U". Seattle University. April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
^ Jackson, Wilton (April 9, 2021). "Report: Houston Guard Quentin Grimes Declares for NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
^ McIlvoy, Randy (July 14, 2021). "Texas Southern lands former UH Cougar Brison Gresham Forward". KPRC-TV. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
^ "Houston Signs Guard Taze Moore". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
^ Yanez, Andy (April 14, 2021). "Texas Tech guard Kyler Edwards transferring to UH". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
^ Mavredakis, Mike (March 25, 2021). "Josh Carlton headed to Houston as grad transfer". The UConn Blog. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
^ @Joseph_Duarte (December 22, 2021). "Houston's Tramon Mark to miss rest of season after shoulder surgery" (Tweet). Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Twitter.
^ @Joseph_Duarte (December 24, 2021). "UH's Marcus Sasser to miss rest of season" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.

[NBAsr-2] For the 2021 draft only, the NBA and its players union agreed that seniors would have to declare themselves eligible for the draft. This was an aftereffect of the NCAA's announcement that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any participant in the organization's winter sports, including basketball. This in turn meant that every senior in the 2020–21 season had remaining eligibility.

[1] Weiler, Curt (January 12, 2021). "FSU basketball lands commitment from Houston transfer Caleb Mills". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.

[3] "Cameron Tyson Commits to Seattle U". Seattle University. April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.

[4] Jackson, Wilton (April 9, 2021). "Report: Houston Guard Quentin Grimes Declares for NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 17, 2021.

[5] McIlvoy, Randy (July 14, 2021). "Texas Southern lands former UH Cougar Brison Gresham Forward". KPRC-TV. Retrieved July 14, 2021.

[6] "Houston Signs Guard Taze Moore". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.

[7] Yanez, Andy (April 14, 2021). "Texas Tech guard Kyler Edwards transferring to UH". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved April 17, 2021.

[8] Mavredakis, Mike (March 25, 2021). "Josh Carlton headed to Houston as grad transfer". The UConn Blog. Retrieved April 17, 2021.

[9] "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.

[10] @Joseph_Duarte (December 22, 2021). "Houston's Tramon Mark to miss rest of season after shoulder surgery" (Tweet). Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Twitter.

[11] @Joseph_Duarte (December 24, 2021). "UH's Marcus Sasser to miss rest of season" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Twitter.

[12] "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.

[13] "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.

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2021–22 Houston Cougars men's basketball

AAC tournament champions AAC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 15
Record	32–6 (15–3 AAC)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (8th season)
Assistant coaches	K.C. Beard Kellen Sampson Quannas White
Home arena	Fertitta Center
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →