Kelvin Sampson once again has a Final Four-worthy team as Houston basketball enters the 2026-27 season as a favorite in the Big 12.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Houston basketball.
When you look at teams that suffocate opposing teams, Houston basketball comes to mind first. Kelvin Sampson hasn’t just installed a defensive-first approach, but a mindset that Houston must shut down any team that dares play them for a full 40 minutes. The Cougars don’t just defend well – they are built to defend dominantly.
Take this year’s starting lineup, which includes Delrecco Gillespie and Joseph Tugler – two frontcourt stars who each averaged over a block and a steal per game last season. It’s an automatic matchup win nearly every time they step foot on the court. Paired with two players in Mercy Miller and Chase McCarty who have bought into this system and stayed with it despite not putting up flashy numbers, and a top point guard transfer in Dedan Thomas Jr., you’ve got another starting five that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country.
But Houston’s depth is what really causes other teams problems. Corey Hadnot is a proven scorer coming over from the mid-major ranks, Arafan Diane is a massive 7-footer who gives Houston yet another shot blocker, and Chendall Weaver is a fifth-year guy who brings experience off the bench. Even Lamar transfer Braden East can rebound the ball and provide another option inside.
Past that are a trio of players yet to play a game in college, but could definitely add to the depth as the season goes on.
Obviously, there are no Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, or Chris Cenac. But this is a next-man mentality, and Kelvin Sampson is outstanding at developing talent within the program. We should expect nothing less this season.
Head coach: Kelvin Sampson (34th season overall, 13th at Houston)
2025-26 record: 30-7 (14-4)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to Illinois (65-55) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Kingston Flemings (16.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 38.7 3P%)
- Emanuel Sharp (15.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 37.2 3P%)
- Milos Uzan (11.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- Chris Cenac (9.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 0.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Cal (Nov. 8) – Lake Tahoe, NV
- vs. Rutgers (Nov. 17) – Players Era
- vs. Florida OR Notre Dame (Nov. 18) – Players Era
- vs. Kansas OR UNLV OR West Virginia OR Auburn (Nov. 19) – Players Era
- vs. Alabama (Dec. 8) – Madison Square Garden
- vs. LSU (Dec. 13)
- vs. Florida State (Dec. 20) – Jacksonville, FL
Projected Rotation
PG: Dedan Thomas Jr. (6-1, 180, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 6.5 APG (LSU)
SG: Mercy Miller (6-4, 200, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 5.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.5 APG
SF: Chase McCarty (6-5, 225, Rs.-So.)
2025-26 stats: 4.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.2 APG, 35.8 3P%
PF: Delrecco Gillespie (6-8, 240, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 17.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 50.8 FG% (Kent State)
C: Joseph Tugler (6-8, 230, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 BPG, 1.3 SPG, 57.6 FG%
6: Corey Hadnot II (6-2, 185, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 20.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 52.0 FG%, 35.8 3P% (Purdue Fort Wayne)
7: Arafan Diane (7-0, 280, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 28 ranked recruit
8: Chendall Weaver (6-3, 180, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 5.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 APG (Texas)
9: Braden East (6-9, 250, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 53.3 FG% (Lamar)
10: Ikenna Alozie (6-2, 190, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 54 ranked recruit
11: Bryce Jackson (6-6, 210, Rs.-Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 178 ranked recruit (2025)
12: Tyrus Thomas (6-0, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 273 ranked recruit
Houston basketball team MVP: Joseph Tugler
Is Joseph Tugler going to be the leading scorer for Houston basketball this season? Far from it. He might not even lead them in a statistical category, with Gillespie potentially coming in as the top rebounder, Thomas as the go-to playmaker, and on and on. Yet Tugler is the perfect example of what it means to be a Houston basketball player under Kelvin Sampson.
When Tugler started his Cougars career in 2023, he was a raw big man with potential to be a difference maker. We have seen that come true, even if he’s only a 6.0 points-per-game scorer in his career. Tugler is the heart and soul of Houston, a force on defense, and the backbone of the last few rosters he’s been on. Now, he heads into his senior year, looking to end one heck of a run in H-Town.
Houston basketball make-or-break player: Corey Hadnot II
The biggest change for Houston basketball is going from a guard-dominant team to a forward-first squad. The Cougars lost their trio of outstanding guards and replaced them with some good transfers, but definitely shifted more toward the frontcourt, with Gillespie and Arafan set to be key pieces in 2026-27.
But Corey Hadnot Jr. can become a valuable rotation piece and a key scorer – something Houston desperately needs beside Thomas. McCarty and Miller will need to show improvements in the scoring area, but Hadnot has done it before in a big way. Now he will play against Power 5 competition, which obviously is a huge step up from the Horizon League. But Houston will be counting on him to be a crucial scoring piece in relief.
Key statistic: Turnovers per game
We’ve got no choice but to highlight how few turnovers Houston basketball had per game last season, because they led the nation with just 8.3 per game.
When you talk about playing poised basketball, it doesn’t get better than not coughing it up. Not only does Kelvin Sampson require great defense, but attention to detail all over the basketball court.
This season, the Cougars have a lot of changes at the guard position, so it’ll be interesting to see if they take a bit of a step back when it comes to the turnovers, or if one offseason with some new transfers and returning guys in bigger roles is enough.
Houston basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in the Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance