The University of Houston men’s basketball team is on a roll and is looking like the
team to beat after clinching the #1 seed in the Midwest regional bracket of the NCAA men’s
basketball tournament.
The Cougars have remained undefeated since February 1st, hanging their hats on Kelvin
Sampson-style defense, winning 13 straight games and giving up an average of less than 63
points a game over their winning streak. According to experts, this is arguably the best offensive team the University of Houston has ever had under Coach Sampson’s tutelage, with three standout players (LJ Cryer, Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp) shooting above 42% from the three-point line this season.
The 1-seed in the Midwest Region… Houston#MarchMadness @UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/Mp2pLAVrEy
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025
And while this level of consistency is crucial to being successful in the NCAA
tournament, the Cougars have entered the tournament as a #1 seed for the past three years
and have yet to finish the year with a national championship.
The Defender asked Coach Sampson and a few veteran players about the key ingredients for this team to consistently perform at their highest level in this tournament and win a championship.
KELVIN SAMPSON
“We don’t change, we do what we do, we go to practice every day with a plan and treat our
practice is important because this time of year the teams that are healthy have the best
chances. So, right now, we are dealing with J’wan (Roberts) ‘s ankle. He will come in, we will meet with John and J’wan to see where he is at and what he can do on Tuesday and we will go from there.
LJ CRYER
“It’s all about preparation. Prepare how you want to play. It starts at practice because if you
practice the right way you will have success. It’s not really changing too much or putting too
much pressure on yourself like I said. You have to go out there and be confident and be free.”
EMANUEL SHARP
HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 03: Emanuel Sharp #21 of the Houston Cougars reacts against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Fertitta Center on March 03, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
“Playing hard. It’s really not too complicated. You know as long as you are playing hard, you
have the right attitude and give the right amount of effort good things will come your way.”
J’WAN ROBERTS
“I want to say just play for each other. You know we are going to have times in the games
where teams go on runs and that is college basketball. We have played a lot of great teams and I feel like us keeping our composure, just traveling with our culture and knowing what the main objective is will help us go into these games with a lot of confidence in ourselves knowing we can win any game that we play.”
𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐂 𝐆𝐮𝐥𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦@JwanRoberts13
• Winningest player in @UHouston history
• Fourth player in school history with 1,000+ points AND 1,000+ rebounds#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/QtHddrPBmd
— Houston Men’s Hoops 
(@UHCougarMBK) March 18, 2025
