2019–20 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars are led by sixth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference. This is the second season that the team plays its home games at the Fertitta Center.

2019–20 Houston Cougars men's basketball
Diamond Head Classic champions
AAC regular season co-champions
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 23
APNo. 22
2019–20 record23–8 (13–5 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFertitta Center
2019–20 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Cincinnati13–5 .722  20–10  .667
No. 22 Houston13–5 .722  23–8  .742
Tulsa13–5 .722  21–10  .677
Wichita State11–7 .611  23–8  .742
UConn10–8 .556  19–12  .613
Memphis10–8 .556  21–10  .677
SMU9–9 .500  19–11  .633
UCF7–11 .389  16–14  .533
South Florida7–11 .389  14–17  .452
Temple6–12 .333  14–17  .452
East Carolina5–13 .278  11–20  .355
Tulane4–14 .222  12–18  .400
As of March 11, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll
NOTE: The 2020 AAC Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

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.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2018–19 season, Kelvin Sampson agreed to a six-season contract to remain Head Coach at Houston.[1]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Landon Goesling2G6'2"175Graduate StudentBakersfield, CAGraduated
Armoni Brooks3G6'3"195JuniorRound Rock, TXPlay professionally
Corey Davis Jr.5G6'1"190SeniorLafayette, LAGraduated
Neil VanBeck15G6'4"200FreshmanHouston, TXWalk-on; left team
Breaon Brady24F6'8"260SeniorAkron, OHGraduated
Galen Robinson Jr.25G6'1"190SeniorHouston, TXGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Cameron Tyson5G6'2"200SophomoreBothell, WATransferred from Idaho. Under NCAA transfer rules, Tyson has to sit out the 2019–20 season. Tyson will have three years of remaining eligibility.[2]
Quentin Grimes24G6'5"205SophomoreThe Woodlands, TXTransferred from Kansas. Grimes was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[3]

Recruiting class of 2020

AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on October 14, 2019, with the Cougars tied for first place with the Memphis Tigers. However, the Cougars received more 1st place votes in the poll.[4]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
T-1Houston113 (7)
T-1Memphis113 (4)
3Cincinnati94 (1)
4Wichita State88
5USF79
6UConn75
7Temple72
8SMU47
9UCF40
10Tulsa36
11East Carolina20
12Tulane15

Roster
2019–20 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Marcus Sasser 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrRed Oak High School Red Oak, TX
C 1 Chris Harris Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)255 lb (116 kg) RS SrSan Jacinto JC Houston, TX
G 2 Caleb Mills 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)165 lb (75 kg) RS FrT. C. Roberson High School Arden, NC
G 3 DeJon Jarreau 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS JrUMass New Orleans, LA
F 4 Justin Gorham 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)235 lb (107 kg) RS JrTowson Baltimore, MD
G 5 Cameron Tyson  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoIdaho Bothell, WA
G 11 Nate Hinton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoGaston Day School Gastonia, NC
F 13 J'Wan Roberts  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrShoemaker High School Saint Thomas, VI
F 23 Cedrick Alley Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SoKlein Forest High School Houston, TX
G 24 Quentin Grimes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoKansas The Woodlands, TX
C 30 Caleb Broodo (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS SoDow High School Midland, MI
F 35 Fabian White Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg) JrAtascocita High School Atascocita, TX
F/C 55 Brison Gresham 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS JrUMass New Orleans, LA
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 9, 2019*
5:00 pm		 Angelo State W 106–42  0–0
  18 – Hinton  13 – Hinton  5 – Sasser  Fertitta Center (5,205)
Houston, TX
Non-conference regular season
November 12, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 Alabama State W 84–56  1–0
  14 – Sasser  8 – Hinton  4 – Tied  Fertitta Center (6,430)
Houston, TX
November 15, 2019*
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 BYU L 71–72  1–1
  17 – Mills  7 – Hinton  2 – Tied  Fertitta Center (7,035)
Houston, TX
November 19, 2019*
7:00 pm, Facebook		 at Rice
Rivalry		 W 97–89  2–1
  32 – Grimes  12 – White  5 – Grimes  Tudor Fieldhouse (2,513)
Houston, TX
November 22, 2019*
8:00 pm, P12N		 at No. 11 Oregon L 66–78  2–2
  21 – Mills  8 – Gresham  4 – Grimes  Matthew Knight Arena (8,095)
Eugene, OR
November 26, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Houston Baptist W 112–73  3–2
  24 – Hinton  15 – Hinton  6 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (5,862)
Houston, TX
December 4, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Texas State W 68–60  4–2
  21 – Grimes  12 – Harris Jr.  3 – Grimes  Fertitta Center (6,461)
Houston, TX
December 8, 2019*
11:00 am, ESPNU		 at South Carolina
American/SEC Alliance		 W 76–56  5–2
  24 – Grimes  11 – Hinton  4 – Jarreau  Colonial Life Arena (11,164)
Columbia, SC
December 11, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 UT Arlington W 71–63  6–2
  25 – Hinton  10 – Hinton  6 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (6,657)
Houston, TX
December 15, 2019*
2:00 pm, ESPN		 Oklahoma State L 55–61  6–3
  23 – Mills  9 – Hinton  2 – White  Fertitta Center (7,035)
Houston, TX
December 19, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 UTEP
Diamond Head Classic non-bracket game		 W 77–57  7–3
  17 – Tied  12 – Gresham  9 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (6,470)
Houston, TX
December 22, 2019*
2:00 pm, ESPNU		 vs. Portland
Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals		 W 81–56  8–3
  18 – Grimes  10 – Hinton  6 – Grimes  Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 23, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 vs. Georgia Tech
Diamond Head Classic semifinals		 W 70–59  9–3
  26 – Grimes  12 – White Jr.  3 – Mills  Stan Sheriff Center (5,585)
Honolulu, HI
December 25, 2019*
7:30 pm, ESPN2		 vs. No. 21 Washington
Diamond Head Classic final		 W 75–71  10–3
  19 – Tied  8 – Hinton  6 – Grimes  Stan Sheriff Center (6,356)
Honolulu, HI
AAC regular season
January 3, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 UCF W 78–63  11–3
(1–0)		  20 – Hinton  16 – Hinton  4 – Tied  Fertitta Center (7,035)
Houston, TX
January 7, 2020
6:00 pm, CBSSN		 at Temple W 78–74  12–3
(2–0)		  23 – Mills  13 – Hinton  5 – Tied  Liacouras Center (4,366)
Philadelphia, PA
January 11, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN2		 at Tulsa L 61–63  12–4
(2–1)		  22 – Mills  10 – Hinton  3 – Hinton  Reynolds Center (3,725)
Tulsa, OK
January 15, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN		 SMU
Rivalry		 W 71–62  13–4
(3–1)		  17 – White Jr.  10 – White Jr.  3 – Grimes  Fertitta Center (6,584)
Houston, TX
January 18, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN2		 at No. 16 Wichita State W 65–54  14–4
(4–1)		  14 – White Jr.  10 – Jarreau  6 – Jarreau  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
January 23, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 25 UConn W 63–59  15–4
(5–1)		  20 – Mills  11 – Jarreau  8 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (7,035)
Houston, TX
January 26, 2020
1:00 pm, CBSSN		 No. 25 South Florida W 68–49  16–4
(6–1)		  12 – Jarreau  8 – Harris Jr.  6 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (6,364)
Houston, TX
January 29, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN3		 No. 21 at East Carolina W 69–59  17–4
(7–1)		  18 – Mills  10 – Harris Jr.  6 – Mills  Williams Arena (4,406)
Greenville, NC
February 1, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 21 at Cincinnati L 62–64  17–5
(7–2)		  17 – Sasser  8 – Hinton  6 – Jarreau  Fifth Third Arena (12,189)
Cincinnati, OH
February 6, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 25 Tulane W 75–62  18–5
(8–2)		  18 – Mills  12 – Hinton  7 – Hinton  Fertitta Center (6,430)
Houston, TX
February 9, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 25 Wichita State W 76–43  19–5
(9–2)		  14 – Grimes  9 – Hinton  5 – Grimes  Fertitta Center (7,135)
Houston, TX
February 12, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 20 at South Florida W 62–58  20–5
(10–2)		  22 – Grimes  7 – Harris Jr.  5 – Tied  Yuengling Center (4,548)
Tampa, FL
February 15, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 20 at SMU
Rivalry		 L 72–73 OT 20–6
(10–3)		  26 – Sasser  10 – Harris Jr.  4 – Hinton  Moody Coliseum (5,534)
Dallas, TX
February 19, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2/ESPNU		 No. 22 Tulsa W 76–43  21–6
(11–3)		  27 – Mills  7 – White Jr.  6 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (6,732)
Houston, TX
February 22, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 22 at Memphis L 59–60  21–7
(11–4)		  21 – Mills  12 – Hinton  3 – Tied  FedExForum (17,735)
Memphis, TN
March 1, 2020
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 25 Cincinnati W 68–55  22–7
(12–4)		  21 – Sasser  11 – Harris Jr.  4 – Jarreau  Fertitta Center (7,096)
Houston, TX
March 5, 2020
6:00 pm, CBSSN		 No. 21 at UConn L 71–77  22–8
(12–5)		  24 – Grimes  6 – Tied  6 – Sasser  Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
March 8, 2020
11:00 am, CBS		 No. 21 Memphis W 64–57  23–8
(13–5)		  18 – White Jr.  14 – White Jr.  3 – Tied  Fertitta Center (7,129)
Houston, TX
AAC Tournament
March 13, 2020
6:30 pm, ESPNU		 (2) No. 22 vs. (7) SMU / (10) Temple
Quarterfinals		 Cancelled Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.
1.^ Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Rankings
Main article: 2019–20 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 Final 
AP RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR RV RV RV 25 21 25 20 22 25 21 22-T 22 
Coaches RV RV* NR NR NR NR NR NR RV RV RV 24 20 25 19 22 RV 21 24 23

*Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll

Awards and honors

All-AAC Second Team
  • Nate Hinton
  • Caleb Mills

All Freshman Team
  • Caleb Mills

Player of the Week

Rookie of the Week
  • Week 6: Caleb Mills
  • Week 12: Caleb Mills
  • Week 17: Marcus Sasser

Source[5][6][7]

References
  1. "Sampson signs long-term deal with Houston". ESPN.com.
  2. "Cameron Tyson to Join Houston". uhcougars.com.
  3. "Houston lands top transfer Grimes from Kansas". ESPN.com.
  4. "Houston, Memphis Tabbed 2019-20 American Men's Basketball Preseason Favorites". American Athletic Conference. October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  5. "American Men's Basketball Release" (PDF). American Athletic Conference. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  6. "American Athletic Conference Announces All-Conference, All-Freshman Teams". theamerican.org. 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  7. "American Athletic Conference Announces Individual Awards". theamerican.org. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
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