The Houston Cougars won the Big 12 regular season championship in its first year in the conference. Houston entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the south region, but had two rotational players sidelined due to injury. The injury bug struck again in the Sweet 16 when star point guard and All-American Jamal Shead turned his ankle late in the first half vs. Duke Sweet 16. Shead’s “grade four sprain,” according to Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, occurred with 6:38 remaining in the first half. Shead never returned to action, and without its best player Houston fell to the No. 4 seed Blue Devils 54-51.
Houston’s 2023-24 season ended with a 32-5 overall record and a 15-3 mark in the Big 12.
The attention now turns to the 2024-25 season and what Houston and Coach Sampson’s projected roster will look like. Who will be back, what help will be on the way, and what still needs to be addressed for next season?
