College basketball 2022-23 countdown: No. 3 Houston

By John Fanta
Published

Editor's note: John Fanta is counting down his top 15 college basketball teams leading up to the start of the 2022-23 season. Checking in at No. 3 is Houston.

The Houston Cougars are the toughest team in college basketball, and that's not a hot take.

The way Kelvin Sampson gets his players to rise to such a high level of intensity is impressive. If it were so easy to achieve, every coach would be doing it. The 34th-year head coach has mastered a culture at Houston, and it has resulted in a golden era of consistency for the program. 

Over the last four seasons, Houston is 116-22. The Cougars have been to a Final Four, an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16 in that span. In the last two years, they’ve notched 60 wins.

Ranking first among all power conference teams — and third overall — in scoring defense last season, the Cougars allowed just 58.8 points per game.

The numbers are staggering, and the wildest part is that the Cougars could be even better this season. Four of their five starters are returning. Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, who were both off to a strong start last year before suffering season-ending injuries, are healthy and ready to go. Sasser is a preseason All-American and could end up being the best guard in the country.

All of that experience will lead to winning, but to make the Cougars that much more dangerous, Sampson acquired the highest-ranked recruit in Houston program history — five-star forward Jarace Walker.

So Houston has plenty of firepower to give opposing teams a handful, and the Cougars are always going to defend and rebound. Last year, they were first in the country with an offensive rebounding rate of 38%. In fact, according to KenPom.com, the Cougars have finished in the top three of that category nationally in each of the last three seasons.

While Kyler Edwards, Taze Moore, Josh Carlton and Fabian White are gone, Sampson has others ready to take on an increased role and freshmen who can make an immediate impact. Even with injuries hitting the Cougars hard a year ago, they somehow figured out a way to reach the Elite Eight. Health is an obvious key with a couple of players in comeback mode from significant setbacks, but if this team stays intact, watch out.

Who’s back on the roster? 

Sasser’s return was the biggest news for Sampson because the 6-foot-2 guard is such an explosive offensive player. Before a toe injury ended his season, Sasser was looking like one of the best guards in college basketball. He averaged 17.7 points on 44% from both the floor and from beyond the arc last season. As he tested the NBA Draft waters this past spring, Sasser raised eyebrows at the NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago, earning an invite to the draft combine. His shooting ability looked sharp during that evaluation period, and it will be to Houston’s benefit this season.

Sasser will work alongside elite set-up man Jamal Shead, who tallied 221 assists last season, the second-most in program history. Shead was not only a great distributor, but with a 2.91 assist-to-turnover ratio, he was the only player in the country to rank in the top 10 in that category as well as assists per game (5.8). The 6-foot-1 guard is quick and scrappy defensively and improved as his sophomore season rolled along. In fact, he was the first Houston sophomore to be named to an NCAA Tournament All-Regional Team since some guy named Hakeem Olajuwon did so in 1984. Sampson has also been high on Shead’s leadership.

The other key piece back in the fold on the perimeter is Mark, a 6-foot-5 junior guard who missed all but seven games last season due to a shoulder injury. As a freshman, he made an immediate impact for the Cougars, including this dramatic game-winning shot against Memphis. 

Mark is a lefty who was really becoming an X-factor in the Cougars offense as his freshman season progressed. He could be a major weapon with experience under his belt and injuries behind him. He’s also another dawg on the defensive end of the floor, a menace for opposing guards to put up with. 

Another name to watch among the guards is sophomore Ramon Walker Jr., who got some run in major moments as a freshman, including 27 minutes in the Sweet 16 victory over Arizona.

Turning to the frontcourt, redshirt junior J’Wan Roberts and fifth-year senior Reggie Chaney will likely handle things at the center spot. A terrific offensive rebounder last season, Roberts could be poised to make even bigger strides in his third campaign with the program after redshirting his freshman season. Meanwhile, Chaney provides plenty of experience, having started 13 games on the Final Four squad two years ago. He battled a tendon injury last season, but looks as though he’s healthy and ready to take on a larger role after averaging just shy of 12 minutes per game. Elsewhere in the paint, sophomore Ja’Vier Francis will also try to take a step forward.

Who’s new on the roster? 

Let’s begin with Walker, who is going to be incredible to watch. At 6-foot-8, the freshman fits Sampson’s system perfectly, and his physical frame could be as dangerous of a weapon as any that Houston possesses entering the season. 

Walker could be the most physically gifted freshman in the entire 2022 recruiting class. He can defend at a high level with length and athleticism, holding a wingspan that’s over 7-foot-2. Not only does he have the explosiveness, but Walker has great positional feel for where he needs to be on the floor. His instincts are strong, and his midrange game is smooth. The key for his overall stock will be his perimeter shooting. If that comes along, Walker will have the total package and could be a high NBA Draft selection. 

But Walker is not the only big-time freshman entering the program. Four-star recruit Terrance Arceneaux is a versatile 6-foot-7 wing who’s ranked No. 40 in the 247 Sports class rankings. 

"In all my years of recruiting, I don't know if I have recruited a player that can impact winning in as many ways as he can," Sampson said upon Arceneaux's committment to the program.

Arceneaux won back-to-back high school state titles at Beaumont United, showcasing that he can do all the little things in that chapter of his career. He could pose some matchup issues for opposing teams and be a legit 3-and-D option for the Cougars.

As for the transfer portal, Sampson made one edition with Texas Tech’s Mylik Wilson. A two-time transfer who started his career at Louisiana, the 6-foot-2 guard is a quality defender and rebounder for his height. He only averaged 15 minutes per game last year in Lubbock, but Wilson is a serviceable veteran guard who can add some depth to Houston’s guard play especially if any injuries pop up.

One other name of note is 6-foot-3 guard and four-star recruit Emanuel Sharp, who joined the program in December 2021 following his early high school graduation. A Florida state high school Player of the Year out of Bishop McLaughlin High School, Sharp was with the team in the back half of its season while he recovered from a leg injury. 

The key questions for the Cougars to answer …

With Carlton and White gone, will the Cougars still be able to control matchups at the center position? It will be interesting to see Chaney, Roberts & Co. handle duties in the frontcourt.

The other question is obvious, but so important: Can this team stay healthy? Sasser and Mark are two critical pieces and there’s no question that both have all-conference — and in Sasser's case, All-American — talent. 

The other big piece to the puzzle: Will Houston be formidable from beyond the arc? We know Sasser will knock down shots, but will Shead and Mark be better from downtown? Teams may dare Mark, a 25% shooter from downtown, to fire from distance. 

If you have doubts about how this team will handle the massive expectations, think again. Sampson has built a machine of a program rooted in outstanding culture and work ethic. His teams play relentlessly hard. There’s nothing soft about the Cougars — nothing. 

The big picture

It feels like a trip back in time to when Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were on the hardwood for Houston. Ranked No. 3 both here and in the AP Top 25, the Cougars are facing an all-time high excitement level. It’s not a question of "if" the hype is real. It’s just a matter of the Cougars’ draw in March and whether they can make it to the Final Four … which is in … Houston!

How magical would it be if Houston alum Jim Nantz, in his last Final Four on the microphone, calls his alma mater winning its first national title in a glorified home game? It’s what March is made for.

Schedule highlights

  • Sunday, Nov. 20: at Oregon
  • Saturday, Dec. 3: Saint Mary’s (Game played in Fort Worth)
  • Saturday, Dec. 10: Alabama
  • Saturday, Dec. 17: at Virginia
  • Sunday, Jan. 8: at Cincinnati
  • Sunday, Feb. 5: at Temple
  • Sunday, Feb. 19: Memphis
  • Sunday, March 5: at Memphis

Top 15 countdown:

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.