In the aftermath of Monday night’s devastating title-game loss by Houston, there is some good news for Cougar fans.
The Cougars – which lost 65-63 to Florida in Monday night’s NCAA Tournament title game – are favored to make it back to next year’s Final Four and not only that, several college basketball experts have them ranked No. 1 in their respective way-too-early preseason Top 25 rankings.
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Among those that have Houston ranked No. 1 in those rankings are ESPN, USA Today, John Fanta of FOX Sports and CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein.
In ESPN’s preview of Houston for next season, point guard Milos Uzan is projected to turn pro. But returning starters are guard Emanuel Sharp and forward Joseph Tugler.
Plus, ESPN mentioned Houston’s highly ranked recruiting class coming in, with three of those freshmen projected to be in the starting lineup. They are guards Kingston Flemings and Isiah Harwell, along with center Chris Cenac Jr.
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That recruiting class is another reason why USA Today has the Cougars high on their list.
“The defending national runner-up will lose stalwarts LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts but is poised to make another run to the title game behind one of the top recruiting classes in the country, led by five-star forward C.J. Cenac and guard Isiah Harwell,” the website stated. “The Cougars will also return several key contributors: Forward Joseph Tugler and perimeter threats Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp. Kelvin Sampson will also attack the transfer portal starting this week, looking for help near the rim and on the wing.”
Fanta, when making Houston his No. 1 preseason team, noted the Cougars’ instant success in just two seasons in the Big 12 Conference.
“First off, how about the pedigree that the Cougars have built?” Fanta wrote. “They’re the class of the Big 12, losing just one conference game, notching a pair of Final Four appearances in the last five years along with three Elite Eight appearances and five Sweet 16s.
“Roster continuity is a theme to their rich success, and they’ve got that in place with Emanuel Sharp and potentially Milos Uzan, not to mention JoJo Tugler and Terrance Arceneaux. But the Cougars are also bringing in a loaded recruiting class that ranks at No. 4 in the country and is headlined by Chris Cenac Jr. and Isiah Harwell.”
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Rothstein, in his preview, projects Uzan to stay at Houston for next season, and to be in a three-guard starting lineup along with Sharp and Arceneaux. Tugler would play forward, and Cenac is inserted at center.
Then, Rothstein projects the reserves to be Mercy Miller, Kordelius Jefferson, Cedric Lath, Chase McCarty, Jacob McFarland, Isiah Harwell, Kingston Flemings, Bryce Jackson and Kalifa Sakho, a recent transfer portal addition from nearby Sam Houston State.
Though the season didn’t end the way the Cougars and their fans wanted it to, no doubt this kind of news will keep them optimistic as the offseason is now under way, with high hopes heading into next season.
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