2018–19 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by fifth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference. Beginning December 1, 2018, they played their home games at Fertitta Center, which reopened after a $60 million upgrade. The Cougars played their first four non-conference home games at H&PE Arena while construction on Fertitta Center was completed.

2018–19 Houston Cougars men's basketball
AAC regular season champions
NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 11
2018–19 record33–4 (16–2 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaH&PE Arena
Fertitta Center
2018–19 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 11 Houston16–2 .889  33–4  .892
No. 22 Cincinnati †14–4 .778  28–7  .800
Temple13–5 .722  23–10  .697
UCF13–5 .722  24–9  .727
Memphis11–7 .611  22–14  .611
Wichita State10–8 .556  22–15  .595
Tulsa8–10 .444  18–14  .563
South Florida8–10 .444  24–14  .632
UConn6–12 .333  16–17  .485
SMU6–12 .333  15–17  .469
East Carolina3–15 .167  10–21  .323
Tulane0–18 .000  4–27  .129
† 2019 AAC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Houston finished the 2018–19 regular season 29–2, including an AAC-best 16–2 record in conference play. They were the runner-up in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, falling 69–57 to Cincinnati in the final. The Cougars earned the #3 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, where they went 2–1, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen before falling 62–58 to Kentucky. Houston's final overall season record of 33–4 set a program record for wins.

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2017–18 season 27–8, 14–4 in AAC play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the AAC Tournament, they defeated UCF and Wichita State before losing to Cincinnati in the championship game. The Cougars received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the West region. They defeated San Diego State in the First Round before losing to eventual National Runner-up Michigan in the Second Round.

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Mike Adewunmi2G6'4"210FreshmanMansfield, TXTransferred to McLennan CC
Wes VanBeck12G6'3"195SeniorHouston, TXGraduated
Nura Zanna13F6'6"240RS SeniorKaduna, NigeriaGraduated
Devin Davis15F6'6"225RS SeniorIndianapolis, INGraduated
Gabe Grant20F6'4"220JuniorChicago, ILTransferred to Buffalo
Valentine Sangoyomi31C6'8"240RS JuniorLagos, NigeriaTransferred
Rob Gray32G6'1"185RS SeniorForest City, NCGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Landon Goesling2G6'2"175Graduate StudentBakersfield, CASt. Edward's
Justin Gorham4F6'7"230JuniorBaltimore, MDTowson
DeJon Jarreau13G6'5"182RS SophomoreNew Orleans, LAHoward College
Brison Gresham55F/C6'9"210RS SophomoreNew Orleans, LAHoward College

2018 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nate Hinton
#24 SF		 Gastonia, NC Gaston Day School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Sep 18, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  ESPN: NR
  • 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:

  • "Houston Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  • "2018 Houston Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.

    Roster
    2018–19 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    C 1 Chris Harris Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrSan Jacinto JC Houston, Texas
    G 2 Landon Goesling 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) GSSt. Edward's Bakersfield, California
    G 3 Armoni Brooks 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrMcNeil High School Round Rock, Texas
    F 4 Justin Gorham  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrTowson Baltimore, Maryland
    G 5 Corey Davis Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrSan Jacinto JC Lafayette, Louisiana
    G 11 Nate Hinton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrGaston Day School Gastonia, North Carolina
    G 13 DeJon Jarreau 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SoUMass New Orleans, Louisiana
    G 15 Neil VanBeck (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrWestside High School Houston, Texas
    F 23 Cedrick Alley Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS FrKlein Forest High School Houston, Texas
    F 24 Breaon Brady 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)260 lb (118 kg) SrSaddleback JC Akron, Ohio
    G 25 Galen Robinson Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrWestbury Christian School Houston, Texas
    C 30 Caleb Broodo (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS FrDow High School Midland, Michigan
    F 35 Fabian White Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg) SoAtascocita High School Atascocita, Texas
    F/C 55 Brison Gresham 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SoUMass New Orleans, Louisiana
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    November 1, 2018*
    7:00 pm    		 Dallas Baptist W 89–60  –
    		  27 – Davis  10 – Tied  10 – Jarreau  H&PE Arena (1,000)
    Houston, TX
    Non-conference regular season
    November 10, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Alabama A&M
    Men Against Breast Cancer Cup    		 W 101–54  1–0
    		  24 – Brooks  7 – Hinton  9 – Robinson  H&PE Arena (3,725)
    Houston, TX
    November 14, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Rice
    Men Against Breast Cancer Cup    		 W 79–68  2–0
    		  20 – Brooks  8 – Gresham  6 – Tied  H&PE Arena (3,952)
    Houston, TX
    November 19, 2018*
    7:00 pm    		 Northwestern State
    Men Against Breast Cancer Cup    		 W 82–55  3–0
    		  16 – Brooks  8 – Tied  7 – Robinson  H&PE Arena (3,784)
    Houston, TX
    November 24, 2018*
    5:00 pm    		 at BYU
    Men Against Breast Cancer Cup    		 W 76–62  4–0
    		  24 – Davis  7 – Brady  6 – Tied  Marriott Center (10,959)
    Provo, UT
    November 28, 2018*
    7:00 pm    		 Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 58–53  5–0
    		  23 – Davis  12 – Brooks  4 – Davis  H&PE Arena (3,972)
    Houston, TX
    December 1, 2018*
    8:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 18 Oregon W 65–61  6–0
    		  22 – Brooks  9 – Brooks  7 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (7,035)
    Houston, TX
    December 4, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Lamar W 79–56  7–0
    		  20 – Robinson  9 – Brooks  7 – Davis  Fertitta Center (5,587)
    Houston, TX
    December 8, 2018*
    3:00 pm, FSOK    		 at Oklahoma State W 63–53  8–0
    		  23 – Brooks  8 – Tied  9 – Robinson  Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,596)
    Stillwater, OK
    December 12, 2018*
    8:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 24 LSU W 82–76  9–0
    		  18 – Robinson  9 – Brooks  6 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    December 16, 2018*
    2:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 24 Saint Louis W 68–64  10–0
    		  17 – Davis  8 – Brooks  3 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (6,131)
    Houston, TX
    December 20, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 No. 21 Utah State W 60–50  11–0
    		  15 – Brooks  11 – Alley  4 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (6,264)
    Houston, TX
    December 23, 2018*
    3:00 pm    		 No. 21 Coppin State W 75–44  12–0
    		  16 – Davis  8 – Brooks  5 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (5,383)
    Houston, TX
    December 29, 2018*
    3:00 pm, ESPN3    		 No. 22 NJIT W 80–59  13–0
    		  19 – Davis  7 – Gresham  5 – Hinton  Fertitta Center (6,180)
    Houston, TX
    AAC regular season
    January 2, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 No. 19 Tulsa W 74–56  14–0
    (1–0)    		  21 – Davis  10 – Brooks  6 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (6,420)
    Houston, TX
    January 6, 2019
    5:00 pm, ESPNews    		 No. 19 Memphis W 90–77  15–0
    (2–0)    		  22 – Brooks  9 – Hinton  7 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    January 9, 2019
    6:00 pm, ESPNews    		 No. 17 at Temple L 69–73  15–1
    (2–1)    		  19 – Brady  6 – Robinson  4 – Jarreau  Liacouras Center (5,723)
    Philadelphia, PA
    January 12, 2019
    7:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 17 Wichita State W 79–70  16–1
    (3–1)    		  20 – Davis  5 – Tied  11 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    January 16, 2019
    8:00 pm, ESPNews    		 No. 21 at SMU W 69–58  17–1
    (4–1)    		  20 – Davis  5 – Tied  4 – Jarreau  Moody Coliseum (6,013)
    Dallas, TX
    January 19, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 21 at South Florida
    Saturday Showcase    		 W 69–60  18–1
    (5–1)    		  13 – Brady  9 – Brady  5 – Jarreau  Yuengling Center (5,563)
    Tampa, FL
    January 23, 2019
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 No. 17 East Carolina W 94–50  19–1
    (6–1)    		  17 – Brooks  7 – Brady  8 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (6,297)
    Houston, TX
    January 27, 2019
    1:00 pm, ESPNews    		 No. 17 at Tulsa W 77–65  20–1
    (7–1)    		  22 – Brooks  10 – Harris  5 – Robinson  Reynolds Center (4,023)
    Tulsa, OK
    January 31, 2019
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 13 Temple
    Thursday Night Showcase    		 W 73–66  21–1
    (8–1)    		  24 – Davis  12 – Jarreau  3 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    February 7, 2019
    6:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 12 at UCF W 77–68  22–1
    (9–1)    		  26 – Davis  7 – Brooks  7 – Robinson  CFE Arena (6,292)
    Orlando, FL
    February 10, 2019
    3:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 12 No. 25 Cincinnati W 65–58  23–1
    (10–1)    		  16 – Tied  12 – Brooks  5 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    February 14, 2019
    6:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 9 at UConn
    Thursday Night Showcase    		 W 71–63  24–1
    (11–1)    		  18 – Jarreau  6 – Tied  7 – Jarreau  XL Center (10,095)
    Hartford, CT
    February 17, 2019
    1:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 9 at Tulane W 85–50  25–1
    (12–1)    		  26 – Davis  9 – Gresham  9 – Robinson  Devlin Fieldhouse (1,957)
    New Orleans, LA
    February 23, 2019
    5:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 9 South Florida
    Saturday Showcase    		 W 71–59  26–1
    (13–1)    		  17 – Jarreau  6 – Brooks  4 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    February 27, 2019
    6:00 pm, ESPN3    		 No. 8 at East Carolina W 99–65  27–1
    (14–1)    		  26 – Davis  8 – Harris  9 – Tied  Williams Arena (4,087)
    Greenville, NC
    March 2, 2019
    3:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 8 UCF
    ESPN College GameDay/Saturday Primetime    		 L 64–69  27–2
    (14–2)    		  19 – Davis  9 – Brooks  2 – Tied  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    March 7, 2019
    8:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 12 SMU
    Thursday Night Showcase    		 W 90–79  28–2
    (15–2)    		  20 – Brooks  10 – Brooks  5 – Robinson  Fertitta Center (7,039)
    Houston, TX
    March 10, 2019
    11:00 am, CBS    		 No. 12 at No. 20 Cincinnati W 85–69  29–2
    (16–2)    		  31 – Davis  11 – Hinton  6 – Davis  Fifth Third Arena (12,701)
    Cincinnati, OH
    AAC Tournament
    March 15, 2019
    11:00 am, ESPN2    		 (1) No. 11 vs. (9) UConn
    Quarterfinals    		 W 84–45  30–2
    		  22 – Davis  8 – Tied  5 – Robinson  FedEx Forum (7,610)
    Memphis, TN
    March 16, 2019
    2:00 pm, ESPN2    		 (1) No. 11 at (5) Memphis
    Semifinals    		 W 61–58  31–2
    		  17 – Davis  11 – White  4 – Jarreau  FedEx Forum (7,819)
    Memphis, TN
    March 17, 2019
    2:15 pm, ESPN    		 (1) No. 11 vs. (2) No. 24 Cincinnati
    Finals    		 L 57–69  31–3
    		  17 – Brooks  8 – Harris  4 – Jarreau  FedEx Forum (7,223)
    Memphis, TN
    NCAA Tournament
    March 22, 2019*
    6:20 pm, TBS    		 (3 MW) No. 11 vs. (14 MW) Georgia State
    First Round    		 W 84–55  32–3
    		  26 – Davis  11 – White  7 – Jarreau  BOK Center (12,443)
    Tulsa, OK
    March 24, 2019*
    7:40 pm, TNT    		 (3 MW) No. 11 vs. (11 MW) Ohio State
    Second Round    		 W 74–59  33–3
    		  21 – Davis  6 – Tied  5 – Robinson  BOK Center (12,606)
    Tulsa, OK
    March 29, 2019*
    8:59 pm, TBS    		 (3 MW) No. 11 vs. (2 MW) No. 7 Kentucky
    Sweet Sixteen    		 L 58–62  33–4
    		  20 – Brooks  4 – White  6 – Robinson  Sprint Center (17,385)
    Kansas City, MO
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Rankings
    Main article: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final 
    AP NR NR NR NR RV RV 24 21 22 19 17 21 17 13 12 9 9 8 12 11 Not released 
    Coaches NR NR NR RV RV 22 20 19 17 15 17–T 17 13 12 9 8 6 12 10 9 12

    References
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