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2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

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2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 5
Record15–2 (10–2 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFertitta Center
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 – 2   .846 16 – 6   .727
No. 6 Houston † 14 – 3   .824 28 – 4   .875
Memphis 11 – 4   .733 20 – 8   .714
SMU 7 – 4   .636 11 – 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522
UCF 8 – 10   .444 11 – 12   .478
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 11 – 12   .478
South Florida 4 – 10   .286 9 – 13   .409
Temple 4 – 10   .286 5 – 11   .313
Tulane 4 – 12   .250 10 – 13   .435
East Carolina 2 – 10   .167 8 – 11   .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars are led by seventh-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference. This is the third season that the team plays its home games at the Fertitta Center.

Previous season

Houston finished the 2019–20 regular season 23–8, 13–5 in AAC play, finishing tied for first place and winning a share of the regular season title. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the AAC Tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Chris Harris Jr. 1 C 6'10" 255 Senior Houston, TX Graduated
Nate Hinton 11 G 6'5" 210 Sophomore Gastonia, NC Play professionally[1]
Cedrick Alley Jr. 23 F 6'6" 225 RS Sophomore Houston, TX Transferred to UTSA[2]

Incoming Transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Reggie Chaney F 6'8" 225 Junior Tulsa, OK Transferred from Arkansas. Chaney was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[3][4]

2020 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Tramon Mark
PG 		Dickinson, TX Dickinson High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 17, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 83
Jamal Shead
PG 		Manor, TX Manor High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) May 27, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 80
Kiyron Powell
C 		Evansville, IN Benjamin Bosse High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Aug 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 27
  • 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:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09.

Houston will also add Preferred Walk-on Ryan Elvin a 6'0" PG from Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock, Texas.[5]

2021 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ramon Walker
SF 		Pearland, TX Shadow Creek High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) May 20, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Robbie Armbrester
PF 		Atlanta, GA Wasatch Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 7, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 77
Ja'Vier Francis
C 		Montverde, FL Montverde Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 77
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:

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[6]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 99 (2)
2 Memphis 90 (2)
3 SMU 80
4 Cincinnati 77
5 South Florida 61
6 Tulsa 50
7 Wichita State 44
8 UCF 37
9 East Carolina 34
10 Temple 18
11 Tulane 15

Preseason Awards

  • AAC Preseason Player of the Year - Caleb Mills
  • All-AAC First Team - Caleb Mills

Roster

2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Marcus Sasser 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Red Oak Red Oak, TX
G 1 Jamal Shead 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Manor Manor, TX
G 2 Caleb Mills (T) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So T. C. Roberson Arden, NC
G 3 DeJon Jarreau 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr UMass New Orleans, LA
F 4 Justin Gorham 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Towson Baltimore, MD
G 5 Cameron Tyson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Idaho Bothell, WA
G 12 Tramon Mark 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Dickinson Dickinson, TX
F 13 J'Wan Roberts 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Shoemaker Saint Thomas, VI
G 20 Ryan Elvin (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Cedar Ridge Round Rock, TX
G 24 Quentin Grimes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Kansas The Woodlands, TX
C 30 Caleb Broodo (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Dow Midland, MI
F 32 Reggie Chaney 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Arkansas Tulsa, OK
F 35 Fabian White Jr. Injured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Atascocita Atascocita, TX
C 52 Kiyron Powell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Benjamin Bosse Evansville, IN
F/C 55 Brison Gresham 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr UMass New Orleans, LA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • (T) Transferred
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 10, 2020

  • May 27, 2020 – Fabian White Jr. suffered a torn ACL, leading him to sit out for the entire season.[7]
  • January 5, 2021 – Caleb Mills entered the transfer portal.[8] Mills would eventually transfer to Florida State.[9]

Schedule and results

COVID-19 impact

Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

  • The Cougars began a home-and-home series with LSU and Alabama beginning in the 2020–2021.[10][11] Both were eventually postponed due to the pandemic.
  • Two previously scheduled games were postponed (vs. Sam Houston State on Dec 9th and vs. Rice on Dec 12th) due to positive COVID-19 tests in the Houston program.[12]
  • The game vs. UCF originally scheduled for Dec 15th was moved to Dec 26th due to positive COVID-19 tests in the Houston program.[13]
  • The game vs. South Florida originally scheduled for January 14th was moved to February 10th due to COVID–19 issues.[14]
  • The game vs. Cincinnati originally scheduled for Jan 23rd was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.[15]
  • The game vs. Temple originally scheduled for Feb 10th was rescheduled for Jan 23rd due to Houston's previously scheduled game being postponed.[16]

Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 17 Lamar W 89–45  1–0
  25 – Sasser   8 – Mark   4 – Grimes  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
November 27, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 17 Boise State
Southwest Showcase 		W 68–58  2–0
  25 – Grimes   14 – Roberts   2 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
November 29, 2020*
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 17 vs. No. 14 Texas Tech
Southwest Showcase 		W 64–53  3–0
  17 – Sasser   9 – Jarreau   5 – Jarreau  Dickies Arena (3,568)
Fort Worth, TX
December 5, 2020*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 10 South Carolina
American/SEC Alliance 		W 77–67  4–0
  23 – Grimes   8 – Jarreau   3 – Tied  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
December 9, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 10 Sam Houston State Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[18] Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
December 12, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 10 Rice Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[19] Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
December 20, 2020*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 6 Alcorn State W 88–55  5–0
  27 – Grimes   15 – Gorham   7 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
AAC regular season
December 22, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 6 Temple W 76–50  6–0
(1–0) 		 22 – Grimes   12 – Gorham   4 – Tied  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
December 26, 2020
12:00 p.m., ABC 		No. 6 at UCF W 63–54  7–0
(2–0) 		 19 – Sasser   5 – Tied   5 – Jarreau  Addition Financial Arena (1,476)
Orlando, FL
December 29, 2020
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 5 at Tulsa L 64–65  7–1
(2–1) 		 19 – Grimes   7 – Grimes   4 – Grimes  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
January 3, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 5 at SMU
Rivalry 		W 74–60  8–1
(3–1) 		 17 – Sasser   19 – Gorham   5 – Jarreau  Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
January 6, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 11 Wichita State W 70–63  9–1
(4–1) 		 22 – Grimes   10 – Tied   5 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 9, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 11 Tulane W 71–50  10–1
(5–1) 		 28 – Sasser   11 – Gorham   3 – Tied  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 17, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 11 UCF W 75–58  11–1
(6–1) 		 18 – Grimes   9 – Gorham   5 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 20, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 8 Tulsa W 86–59  12–1
(7–1) 		 26 – Sasser   11 – Gorham   5 – Tied  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 23, 2021
11:00 a.m., CBS 		No. 8 Cincinnati Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[20] Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
January 23, 2021
11:00 a.m., CBS 		No. 8 at Temple W 68–51  13–1
(8–1) 		 15 – Tied   10 – Gorham   6 – Jarreau  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 28, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 6 at Tulane W 83–60  14–1
(9–1) 		 31 – Tyson   15 – Gorham   4 – Tied  Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
January 31, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 6 SMU
Rivalry 		W 70–48  15–1
(10–1) 		 19 – Sasser   17 – Gorham   5 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 3, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 5 at East Carolina L 73–82  15–2
(10–2) 		 25 – Jarreau   11 – Gorham   5 – Jarreau  Williams Arena (78)
Greenville, NC
February 6, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		Our Lady of the Lake       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 10, 2021
 at South Florida       Yuengling Center 
Tampa, FL
February 14, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		Memphis       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 17, 2021
 ESPN+ 		East Carolina       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 21, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Cincinnati       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 25, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		at Wichita State       Charles Koch Arena 
Wichita, KS
February 28, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPNU 		South Florida       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
March 7, 2021
11:00 a.m., CBS 		at Memphis       FedEx Forum 
Memphis, TN
AAC Tournament
March 11–14, 2021
TBD 		vs.        Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP171076651111865Not released
Coaches18-T18-T^88751111865

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ Duarte, Joseph (18 May 2020). "Nate Hinton plans to leave UH, play professionally". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  2. ^ Duarte, Joseph [@Joseph_Duarte] (11 May 2020). "Houston forward Cedrick Alley Jr. plans to transfer to UTSA" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 May 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Duarte, Joesph (22 Jun 2020). "Reggie Chaney transferring to UH basketball from Arkansas". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 25 Jun 2020.
  4. ^ @JonRothstein (10 Sep 2020). "Kelvin Sampson told reporters that Houston's Reggie Chaney has received a waiver from the NCAA and is eligible for the 20-21 season.Transfer from Arkansas" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "2020 PG Ryan Elvin, New PWO Commit". coogfans.com. Coogfans. Retrieved 25 Jun 2020.
  6. ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  7. ^ @Joseph_Duarte (27 May 2020). "Houston forward Fabian White Jr. has suffered a torn ACL, a source confirms" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 May 2020 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Cobb, David (January 5, 2021). "Houston guard Caleb Mills, the AAC Preseason Player of the Year, transferring from Cougars". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Weiler, Curt (January 12, 2021). "FSU basketball lands commitment from Houston transfer Caleb Mills". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (21 Apr 2020). "Sources: Houston and LSU will begin a home-and-home series next season at the Fertitta Center. Return game in Baton Rouge in 21-22" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @JonRothstein (10 Oct 2020). "Sources: The home-and-home series between Alabama and Houston remains on as scheduled starting this season in Tuscaloosa. Terrific game for both teams" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Duarte, Joesph (8 Dec 2020). "UH basketball pausing activities after positive COVID-19 tests". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 21 Dec 2020.
  13. ^ "Houston-UCF Men's Basketball Game on Dec. 15 Postponed". theamerican.org. 10 Dec 2020.
  14. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. 26 Jan 2021.
  15. ^ "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
  16. ^ "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
  17. ^ "UH adds basketball game against Our Lady of the Lake". 3 Feb 2021.
  18. ^ Duarte, Joesph (8 Dec 2020). "UH basketball pausing activities after positive COVID-19 tests". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 21 Dec 2020.
  19. ^ Duarte, Joesph (8 Dec 2020). "UH basketball pausing activities after positive COVID-19 tests". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 21 Dec 2020.
  20. ^ "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
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