No. 4 Houston returns four starters from last year’s team that reached Sweet 16

Houston Cougars (32-5, 15-3 Big 12)

Houston is ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll for its third straight top-10 preseason ranking under coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars return four starters and nine lettermen from last season’s team that won the Big 12 Conference regular-season title. Houston advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a sixth straight season and reached the Sweet 16 for a fifth consecutive year.

Players to watch

J’Wan Roberts (graduate, F, 6-8, 9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Roberts returns for a fifth season after leading the Cougars and ranking sixth in the Big 12 in rebounds last season. He was named to the preseason All-Big 12 First Team after starting 36 games last year.

L.J. Cryer (graduate, G, 6-1, 15.5 ppg). Cryer is back for a second season at Houston after three at Baylor. He earned preseason All-Big 12 First Team honors after leading the Cougars by averaging 15.5 points per game last season. He averaged three 3-pointers to lead the Big 12.

Emanuel Sharp (junior, G, 6-3, 12.6 ppg). Sharp ranked third on the team by averaging 12.6 points a game and was second with 1.5 steals. He played in each of Houston’s 37 games last season and ranked sixth in the Big 12 by averaging 2.2 3-pointers a game.

Departures and arrivals

Though the Cougars return all but one player from last year’s starting lineup, their one loss is a huge one. Jamal Shead, a consensus All-American, is gone after being drafted by the Toronto Raptors. Cryer will move into the point guard role. Houston added Milos Uzan after the guard spent his first two seasons at Oklahoma and he could move into the starting lineup.

Top games

The Cougars open the season Nov. 4 against Jackson State and get an early test when they face No. 11 Auburn in the Battleground 2k24 tournament at Houston’s Toyota Center on Nov. 9. Houston will travel to Las Vegas to compete in the Players Era Impact Tournament against No. 2 Alabama on Nov. 26 and No. 25 Rutgers on Nov. 30.

They face a challenging Big 12 schedule with a visit to top-ranked Kansas on Jan. 25 before a 12-day stretch in February with games against No. 8 Baylor, No. 10 Arizona and No. 5 Iowa State.

Facts and figures

Before Houston’s recent run of success, the Cougars hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2010. … Sampson, who is entering his 11th season in Houston, is 264-79 with the Cougars. … F Ja’Vier Francis returns after averaging six points and 5.2 rebounds a game in 37 games last season. … G Terrance Arceneaux was granted a hardship waiver after sustaining a season-ending Achilles tendon injury just 11 games into his sophomore season last year.

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