2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball
2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball
AAC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 2
Record	33–4 (17–1 AAC)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (9th season);
Assistant coaches	Hollis Price; Kellen Sampson; Quannas White;
Home arena	Fertitta Center
	Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

The 2022–23 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by ninth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. The team played their home games at the Fertitta Center as members of the American Athletic Conference. In September 2021, Houston and fellow conference members Cincinnati and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12 Conference.^[1] They finished the season 33–4, 17–1 in AAC play, to win the AAC regular season championship. They defeated East Carolina and Cincinnati to advance to the AAC tournament championship game where they lost to Memphis. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the #1 seed in the Midwest Regional. They defeated Northern Kentucky and Auburn to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year. There they lost to Miami (FL).

2022–23 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 Houston	17	–	1	.944	33	–	4	.892
No. 24 Memphis †	13	–	5	.722	26	–	9	.743
Tulane	12	–	6	.667	20	–	11	.645
Cincinnati	11	–	7	.611	23	–	13	.639
Temple	10	–	8	.556	16	–	16	.500
Wichita State	9	–	9	.500	17	–	15	.531
UCF	8	–	10	.444	19	–	15	.559
South Florida	7	–	11	.389	14	–	18	.438
East Carolina	6	–	12	.333	16	–	17	.485
SMU	5	–	13	.278	10	–	22	.313
Tulsa	1	–	17	.056	5	–	25	.167

† 2023 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

On November 28, 2022, the team reached the number one ranking in the AP poll, marking the first time they had held the top spot since 1983. The season marked Houston's last as a member of the AAC. They became a member of the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023.^[2]^[3]

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2021–22 season 26–5, 15–3 in AAC play, to win the AAC regular season championship. They defeated Cincinnati, Tulane and Memphis to win the AAC tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South region. They defeated UAB and Illinois to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive season. There they defeated Arizona before losing to Villanova in the Elite Eight.

Offseason

Departing players

Houston departing players
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Robbie Armbrester	2	G	6'4"	220	Freshman	Atlanta, GA	Transferred to Stephen F. Austin^[4]
Tazé Moore	4	G	6'5"	195	Graduate student	Southaven, MS	Exhausted eligibility
Kyler Edwards	11	G	6'4"	205	Senior	Arlington, TX	Graduated; declared for the 2022 NBA draft^[5]
Josh Carlton	25	F/C	6'10"	245	Graduate student	Winterville, NC	Exhausted eligibility
Fabian White Jr.	35	F	6'8"	230	Graduate student	Atascocita, TX	Exhausted eligibility
Kiyron Powell	52	C	6'8"	210	Sophomore	Evansville, IN	Transferred to Southern Indiana^[6]

Incoming transfers

Houston incoming transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Mylik Wilson^[7]	13	G	6'3"	175	Senior	Rayville, LA	Texas Tech
Sadarius Bowser^[8]	22	C	6'9"	230	Graduate student	Gaffney, SC	Charleston Southern

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information
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.

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kordelius Jefferson CG	Arlington, TX	Martin High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 16, 2022
Kordelius Jefferson CG	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79
Joseph Tugler PF / C	Houston, TX	Cypress Falls High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 25, 2022
Joseph Tugler PF / C	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83
Jacob McFarland C	Moreno Valley, CA	Rancho Verde High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Sep 23, 2022
Jacob McFarland C	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82
Cedric Lath C	Abidjan, Ivory Coast	Balboa School (CA)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Nov 16, 2022
Cedric Lath C	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 23
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: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 12, The American released the preseason poll and other preseason awards.^[9]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Coaches Poll
1	Houston	100 (10)
2	Memphis	87 (1)
3	Cincinnati	82
4	Tulane	74
5	Temple	66
6	UCF	51
7	SMU	43
8	Wichita State	35
9	South Florida	33
10	Tulsa	21
11	East Carolina	13

Preseason awards

Player of the Year – Marcus Sasser
Rookie of the Year – Jarace Walker
All-AAC First Team – Marcus Sasser
All-AAC Second Team – Jamal Shead

Roster

2022–23 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)	Sr	Red Oak HS	Dallas, TX
G	1	Jamal Shead	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Manor HS	Manor, TX
G	3	Ramon Walker Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Shadow Creek HS	Pearland, TX
C	4	Darius Bowser	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	GS	Charleston Southern	Gaffney, SC
F	5	Ja'Vier Francis	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	So	Montverde Academy	New Orleans, LA
G	12	Tramon Mark	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS So	Dickinson HS	Dickinson, TX
F	13	J'Wan Roberts	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	RS Jr	Shoemaker HS	Saint Thomas, USVI
G	20	Ryan Elvin (W)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jr	Cedar Ridge HS	Round Rock, TX
G	21	Emanuel Sharp	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Fr	Bishop McLaughlin CHS	Tampa, FL
G	23	Terrance Arceneaux	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Beaumont United HS	Beaumont, TX
G	24	Mylik Wilson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sr	Texas Tech	Rayville, LA
F	25	Jarace Walker	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Fr	IMG Academy	New Freedom, PA
F	32	Reggie Chaney	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	GS	Arkansas	Tulsa, OK

Head coach

Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke)

Assistant coach(es)

Hollis Price (Oklahoma)
Kellen Sampson (Oklahoma)
Quannas White (Oklahoma)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: March 30, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Northern Colorado	W 83–36	1–0	21 – Sasser	12 – J. Walker	9 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,042) Houston, TX
November 11, 2022* 5:00 p.m., CBSSN	No. 3	vs. Saint Joseph's Veterans Classic	W 81–55	2–0	23 – J. Walker	12 – Roberts	8 – Shead	Alumni Hall (2,889) Annapolis, MD
November 14, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Oral Roberts Cougar Classic	W 83–45	3–0	23 – Mark	11 – Francis	3 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,246) Houston, TX
November 16, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	Texas Southern Cougar Classic	W 83–48	4–0	20 – Sasser	6 – J. Walker	6 – tied	Fertitta Center (7,322) Houston, TX
November 20, 2022* 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	at Oregon	W 66–56	5–0	16 – Sasser	6 – J. Walker	4 – Shead	Matthew Knight Arena (7,002) Eugene, OR
November 26, 2022* 1:30 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Kent State	W 49–44	6–0	19 – Sasser	14 – Roberts	3 – Mark	Fertitta Center (7,378) Houston, TX
November 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 1	Norfolk State	W 100–52	7–0	25 – Sasser	8 – tied	11 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,308) Houston, TX
December 3, 2022* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	vs. Saint Mary's The Battleground 2k22	W 53–48	8–0	15 – Roberts	8 – Roberts	4 – Sasser	Dickies Arena (2,812) Fort Worth, TX
December 6, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 1	North Florida	W 76–42	9–0	14 – Francis	10 – J. Walker	10 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,283) Houston, TX
December 10, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ABC	No. 1	No. 8 Alabama	L 65–71	9–1	19 – Shead	9 – Roberts	3 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,718) Houston, TX
December 13, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 5	North Carolina A&T	W 74–46	10–1	17 – tied	15 – Francis	4 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,268) Houston, TX
December 17, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 5	at No. 2 Virginia	W 69–61	11–1	17 – J. Walker	7 – J. Walker	4 – tied	John Paul Jones Arena (14,629) Charlottesville, VA
December 21, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	McNeese	W 83–44	12–1	23 – Francis	13 – Francis	9 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,418) Houston, TX
AAC Regular Season
December 28, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 3	at Tulsa	W 89–50	13–1 (1–0)	15 – Roberts	9 – Roberts	5 – Sasser	Reynolds Center (4,807) Tulsa, OK
December 31, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	UCF	W 71–65	14–1 (2–0)	19 – Mark	7 – Francis	4 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,457) Houston, TX
January 5, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	SMU Rivalry	W 87–53	15–1 (3–0)	23 – J. Walker	10 – J. Walker	7 – Sasser	Fertitta Center (7,478) Houston, TX
January 8, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at Cincinnati	W 72–59	16–1 (4–0)	21 – J. Walker	11 – Roberts	5 – Mark	Fifth Third Arena (10,264) Cincinnati, OH
January 11, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 1	South Florida	W 83–77	17–1 (5–0)	31 – Sasser	6 – tied	4 – Sasser	Fertitta Center (7,473) Houston, TX
January 17, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 1	at Tulane	W 80–60	18–1 (6–0)	23 – Sasser	9 – J. Walker	7 – Shead	Devlin Fieldhouse (3,621) New Orleans, LA
January 22, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	Temple	L 55–56	18–2 (6–1)	13 – Shead	12 – J. Walker	5 – Sasser	Fertitta Center (7,484) Houston, TX
January 25, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 3	at UCF	W 82–71	19–2 (7–1)	18 – Sharp	9 – Roberts	10 – Shead	Addition Financial Arena (9,383) Orlando, FL
January 28, 2023 1:15 p.m., CBS	No. 3	Cincinnati	W 75–69	20–2 (8–1)	25 – J. Walker	7 – J. Walker	5 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,477) Houston, TX
February 2, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 3	at Wichita State	W 70–61	21–2 (9–1)	15 – tied	6 – tied	7 – Shead	Charles Koch Arena (7,274) Wichita, KS
February 5, 2023 5:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 3	at Temple	W 81–65	22–2 (10–1)	23 – J. Walker	6 – J. Walker	7 – Shead	Liacouras Center (10,206) Philadelphia, PA
February 8, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Tulsa	W 80–42	23–2 (11–1)	25 – Sasser	10 – Roberts	12 – Shead	Fertitta Center (7,369) Houston, TX
February 16, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	at SMU Rivalry	W 80–65	24–2 (12–1)	20 – Sasser	10 – Roberts	8 – Shead	Moody Coliseum (6,278) University Park, TX
February 19, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	Memphis	W 72–64	25–2 (13–1)	20 – tied	12 – Roberts	3 – J. Walker	Fertitta Center (7,730) Houston, TX
February 22, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 1	Tulane	W 89–59	26–2 (14–1)	26 – Roberts	13 – J. Walker	6 – tied	Fertitta Center (7,763) Houston, TX
February 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	at East Carolina	W 76–57	27–2 (15–1)	22 – Sasser	12 – Roberts	3 – tied	Williams Arena (7,589) Greenville, NC
March 2, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 1	Wichita State	W 83–66	28–2 (16–1)	25 – Shead	9 – J. Walker	4 – tied	Fertitta Center (7,879) Houston, TX
March 5, 2023 11:00 a.m., CBS	No. 1	at Memphis	W 67–65	29–2 (17–1)	16 – tied	8 – Mark	7 – Shead	FedExForum (18,437) Memphis, TN
AAC tournament
March 10, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2	(1) No. 1	vs. (9) East Carolina Quarterfinals	W 60–46	30–2	30 – Sasser	12 – Roberts	4 – tied	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
March 11, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN2	(1) No. 1	vs. (4) Cincinnati Semifinals	W 69–48	31–2	16 – tied	8 – tied	9 – Shead	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2023 2:15 p.m., ESPN	(1) No. 1	vs. (2) Memphis Championship	L 65–75	31–3	16 – Shead	20 – Roberts	4 – Shead	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2023* 8:20 p.m., TNT	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (16 MW) Northern Kentucky First Round	W 63–52	32–3	16 – J. Walker	12 – Roberts	6 – Shead	Legacy Arena (15,154) Birmingham, AL
March 18, 2023* 6:10 p.m., TBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (9 MW) Auburn Second Round	W 81–64	33–3	26 – Mark	10 – J. Walker	5 – Shead	Legacy Arena (15,198) Birmingham, AL
March 24, 2023* 6:15 p.m., CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (5 MW) No. 16 Miami (FL) Sweet Sixteen	L 75–89	33–4	16 – J. Walker	11 – J. Walker	5 – tied	T-Mobile Center (17,429) Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[10]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	3 (1)	3 (2)	2 (9)	1 (45)	1 (37)	5	3	3	2	1 (34)	1 (34)	3	3	2 (22)	2 (22)	1 (48)	1 (49)	1 (58)	2 (9)	Not released
Coaches	3 (1)	3 (2)	2 (7)	1 (23)	1 (21)	4	3	3	2 (2)	1 (14)	1 (17)	3	3	2 (13)	2 (15)	1 (24)	1 (27)	1 (29)	1 (21)	6

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

Awards and honors

All-American

Marcus Sasser – AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), SN (2nd)

Jerry West Award

Marcus Sasser

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

Player of the Year: Marcus Sasser
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson
Freshman of the Year: Jarace Walker
Defensive Player of the Year: Jamal Shead
Most Improved Player: J'Wan Roberts
Sixth Man of the Year: Reggie Chaney

All-AAC First Team

Marcus Sasser

All-AAC Second Team

Jamal Shead
J'Wan Roberts
Jarace Walker

All-Freshman Team

Jarace Walker
Terrance Arceneaux
Emanuel Sharp

Source^[11]

References

^ "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021.
^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
^ "Deal lets Cincy, Houston, UCF join Big 12 in 2023". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^ Beames, Caleb (April 20, 2022). "SFA men's basketball sees roster changes after first WAC season". KLTV. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
^ "NBA Announces Early Entry Candidates for NBA Draft 2022". National Basketball Association. April 26, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
^ Sokeland, Kyle; Magley, Hendrix (August 26, 2022). "Former Bosse standout Kiyron Powell is coming home to play for USI basketball". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
^ Conrad, Jeff (June 3, 2022). "Mylik Wilson Signs with Men's Basketball". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^ "Darius Bowser Joins Men's Basketball Program". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. August 4, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^ "Houston Picked as 2022-23 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
^ "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.

[1] "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021.

[2] "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.

[3] "Deal lets Cincy, Houston, UCF join Big 12 in 2023". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2023.

[4] Beames, Caleb (April 20, 2022). "SFA men's basketball sees roster changes after first WAC season". KLTV. Retrieved September 6, 2022.

[5] "NBA Announces Early Entry Candidates for NBA Draft 2022". National Basketball Association. April 26, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.

[6] Sokeland, Kyle; Magley, Hendrix (August 26, 2022). "Former Bosse standout Kiyron Powell is coming home to play for USI basketball". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved September 6, 2022.

[7] Conrad, Jeff (June 3, 2022). "Mylik Wilson Signs with Men's Basketball". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

[8] "Darius Bowser Joins Men's Basketball Program". uhcougars.com. University of Houston Athletics. August 4, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

[9] "Houston Picked as 2022-23 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.

[10] "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". uhcougars.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

[11] "The American Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.

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