HOUSTON VS. COLORADO

3 game-changing factors in Houston’s quest for Big 12 Tournament glory

3 game-changing factors in Houston’s quest for Big 12 Tournament glory
The Coogs square off with Colorado on Thursday! Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images.

For the second year in a row, Houston is the top-ranked team heading into the Big 12 Tournament and should be clear favorites to secure its first conference tournament title since joining the Big 12.

Last year, the Cougars came up just short in the conference championship game, but this time, Houston should be able to run through the tournament with ease thanks to an elite roster and having one of the best coaches in the nation.

Stellar guard play

Senior guard LJ Cryer is playing at an elite level and has been the offensive focal point for most of this season. The Katy native leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game and is the league’s top 3-pointer shooter, making 43.1% of his shots from beyond the arc.

Houston’s other guard, Milos Uzan has been a perfect pickup in the transfer portal and has become a solid point guard for the Cougars. The junior leads the team with 4.4 assists per game and has stepped up offensively when needed, as seen when he dropped a season-high 22 points against Texas Tech on February 24th.

With the combination of Cryer and Uzan in the backcourt and an elite roster around them, the Cougars have created an excellent recipe for success.

Elite roster

In addition to their backcourt, Houston can attribute their success to J’Wan Roberts.

The senior forward has been with the program for six seasons and is the unquestioned leader of this team. Roberts has been a staple of this rotation since becoming a starter during the 22-23 season. During his tenure, the 23-year-old has become the all-time winningest player in University of Houston men's basketball history, further solidifying his elite school legacy.

Roberts leads the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game and can create his own shots, averaging 11.1 points per game this season.

Complementing Roberts in the frontcourt are Emanuel Sharp and the current Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler to round out the rest of the starting rotation.

Sharp is a perfect 3-and-D player for this team and Tugler has become the defensive anchor for the Cougars, contributing 2.0 blocks per game.

Houston’s other impact players Mylik Wilson, Terrance Arceneaux and Ja’Vier Francis help give the team depth and solidify their bench.

The Cougars usually play only eight players per game this season, but that is more than enough depth to give Houston a chance to win every game.

Defense and coaching

Current Big 12 Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson led the Cougars to their second consecutive regular season title with a 27-4 record and are currently the number 2 ranked team in the nation.

Sampson's success can be attributed to a defense-first mentality and knowing how to get the most out of his players year after year.

The Cougars have always had a formidable defense every year since Sampson took over the program, and this season is no different, as Houston is the top-ranked team in defensive efficiency and hold their opponents to 58.1 points per game.

With Sampson at the helm, the Cougars will be well-prepared for the Big 12 Tournament and will have their eyes set on the NCAA Tournament next.

Houston will face Colorado on Thursday at 2 pm to start their Big 12 Tournament play.

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The Texans still have work to do. Composite Getty Image.

We’re inside two weeks to the Astros starting their regular season (Yes!), but the NFL hogged this week of the pro sports scene with its annual spend like drunken sailors shopping spree via free agency. The Texans’ activity has been interesting on both the free agent and trade fronts. Let’s dig in.

Let’s start with their Tunsil-ectomy. Laremy Tunsil was a very good though not superstar left tackle here. His embarrassing number of false starts notwithstanding, Tunsil was consistently their best pass protector. That might not be saying much relative to the rest of the offensive line, but it is not meant as damning with faint praise. Pro Bowl selections can come from reputation or flat-out bad voting, but being named a Pro Bowler five times in six seasons is at least a good indicator a guy doesn’t stink. Still, had he remained, Tunsil’s salary cap figure would have been a bloated 28 and a half million dollars. Getting second and third round draft picks from the Washington Commanders for Tunsil is a good return, though it is also telling that the Texans were willing to absorb 15 million dollars in dead salary cap space to offload him.

Cutting guard Shaq Mason costs the Texans another 12 and a half mil in dead cap space, a little over five million of that swallowed this year with the balance wasted in 2026. Nick Caserio signed Tunsil and Mason to the contract extensions the Texans ultimately chose to escape from early. Caserio’s first first round pick in charge was guard Kenyon Green, whose time with the Texans was an absolute flop. Dealing Green this week to the Super Bowl Champion Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is an absolute win, almost regardless of how Gardner-Johnson performs here. “CGJ” joins Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock in giving the Texans three talented safeties all 27 years old or younger. Back to the o-line. Two years in, former second round pick Juice Scruggs is a middling player at best. Off an undistinguished rookie season as a second rounder also, Blake Fisher has a prove himself season coming with the right tackle job seemingly being handed to him.

Tytus Howard presumably slots as the new left tackle. Season-to-season he has never been as good as Tunsil. At over 23 million dollars, Howard presently carries the second-biggest cap figure on the team, behind only Danielle Hunter. One guard spot in 2025 goes to value free agent signee Laken Tomlinson. Summing him up in one word, Tomlinson is middling. In another word he is durable. The 33-year-old Tomlinson has started every game for seven consecutive seasons. The downside is he’s just not that great. Hence the Texans get him on a one-year contract for four and a quarter mil. Yet, if Tomlinson can be an average starting guard that will be a substantial upgrade from their guard play in 2024. That leaves center and the other guard spot to sort through. Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson are still around. Caserio took a flier in trading a 2026 sixth round pick to Minnesota for guard Ed Ingram. After starting for two and a half seasons, a healthy Ingram was benched and didn’t play one snap apart from special teams in the Vikings’ last nine games. Ingram is only 26 years old and in the final season of his rookie contract. Again, he doesn’t need to be confused with prime-Mike Munchak to be able to improve the Texans at least incrementally.

Add it all up and Caserio has not done a good job where the o-line is concerned. His in-season remarks bleating about a “lazy narrative” from the media re: the weakness of that line were condescending and/or mistaken at the time, and now register as flat out ridiculous. The offensive coordinator and offensive line coach have been fired, three of the season-opening starting o-linemen have been jettisoned. With all of the changes, all offensive line problems going forward should be pinned squarely on Caserio. I think C.J. Stroud would agree.

Doubling down on defense

The Texans’ other free agent moves have been depth plays, most notably on the defensive line, re-signing defensive linemen Mario Edwards Jr., Derek Barnett, and Kurt Hinish, adding Darrell Taylor, and bringing back 2023 starter Sheldon Rankins after he had an injury-hindered 2024 with Cincinnati. The wide receiver room needed work. Stefon Diggs is probably gone, unfortunately Tank Dell is a question mark to play much at all in 2025. None among Robert Woods, John Metchie, and Xavier Hutchinson should be automatics for roster spots. The trade for Christian Kirk from Jacksonville adds a speed component at wideout. Maybe Justin Watson from Kansas City has sleeper contributor potential. Over the last two seasons with the Chiefs Watson caught 49 passes, five for touchdowns.

The next heavy lifting for the Texans comes with the NFL Draft, which starts April 24. The Texans have the 25th pick in the first round. Pending any other free agent moves of note, offensive line and wide receiver should remain top priorities.

Closing in on Opening Day, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!


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