Houston Cougars Basketball

Houston guard Jamal Shead is questionable to return to Friday's Sweet 16 contest against Duke after suffering a right ankle injury, the team announced at halftime.

The team later announced that X-rays were negative and Shead was diagnosed with a "badly sprained ankle."

Shead slipped on a layup and fell at 6:38 of the first half. He appeared to be in pain and had to be helped to the locker room.

Jamal Shead is heading into the locker room pic.twitter.com/f9n70VsDad

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 30, 2024

Shead had two points on 1-for-5 shooting, with three assists and one rebound, prior to exiting the game.

His absence represents a significant loss for Houston's defense. Shead led the Cougars with 2.2 steals per game this season.

He already had two steals in the first 13 minutes of the contest.

Shead's right ankle was "retaped tight" in order to allow the consensus All-American to attempt to play in the second period, according to the team.

Jamal Shead with a badly sprained ankle

X-rays negative

Had ankle retaped tight and will try to give it a go in second half at some point

— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) March 30, 2024

Shead was visibly limping as he led the Cougars out for the second half.

Backup guard Mylik Wilson took his place in the starting lineup to begin the half.

Wilson, who averaged 0.9 steals per game in 35 contests off the bench this season, is set to see more playing time if Shead misses any extended time from the lineup.

Houston point guard Jamal Shead still leads his team out for the second half. Hobbling, but still in front, determined to try and play. pic.twitter.com/FpZ1Puet9B

— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) March 30, 2024

Houston is playing in the Sweet 16 three days after Shead was named a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Shead has also been named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He is a key reason the Cougars ranked third in college basketball by averaging a 16.4-point margin of victory this season, according to the school.

His early exit is yet more bad injury news for Houston. The team has already lost three players to season-ending injuries this season, including Terrance Arceneaux, Ramon Walker and another key defender in Joseph Tugler.

This Houston team has found a way to withstand injury after injury.

Not sure the Cougars can win without the best two-way guard in the country - Jamal Shead.

Need him back desperately.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 30, 2024

The Cougars are looking to earn their third trip to the Elite Eight since Shead's freshman season in 2021.

Shead was a crucial part of Houston's return to the Elite Eight in 2022 and their trip to the Sweet 16 last season. The Cougars' climb to the first national championship in program history will feel much steeper without him.

Houston is heading to the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive NCAA tournament.

The No. 1 Cougars held off No. 9 Texas A&M 100-95 Sunday night in an overtime thriller to advance to the second weekend, where they will take on No. 4 Duke. The Blue Devils beat No. 12 James Madison in the Round of 32.

It was a win-by-committee game for Houston, which had four players in double figures on the night. Sophomore guard Emmanuel Sharp led the way with 30 points, L.J. Cryer put up 20, Jamal Shead had 21 and J'Wan Roberts scored 13.

Houston went into the break with a 36-28 lead and Texas A&M managed to keep things close for most of the second half. The Cougars started to pull away with minutes left, but a late surge from the Aggies made things more interesting in the final minute. Texas A&M made a miraculous comeback and sent the game into overtime with a buzzer-beating three from Andersson Garcia.

With four of its starters fouled out by the end of overtime, Houston still managed to escape and avoid the upset.

After the overtime game, fans were hyped to see another exciting March Madness matchup.

BUZZER BEATER TO FORCE OT 🚨🚨🚨#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/mZSqICdiZR

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2024

Said a few weeks ago that Jamal Shead is the biggest boss in college basketball. That goes double if he carries his team through this OT.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 25, 2024

Texas A&M vs. Houston pic.twitter.com/hVwUbk18Ha

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 25, 2024

Houston led 81-69 with 1:50 remaining.

Texas A&M just forced overtime by scoring 17 points in 109 seconds that followed. Insane.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 25, 2024

No team is tougher mentally than Houston, and no player may be mentally tougher than Jamal Shead. Elite closer

— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) March 25, 2024

Houston was up 12 with two minutes left. Texas A&M comes all the way back to force OT. pic.twitter.com/YagOjLS1OM

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 25, 2024

8 years ago Texas A&M was down by 12 pts with 35 seconds left in Round of 32 vs. Northern Iowa and came back to win

Tonight they were down 11 pts with 1:30 to go against #1 seed Houston.

Incredible!

— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) March 25, 2024

I just SCREAMED in my living room at a sporting event for the first time in a long time. Wow.

Texas A&M erases Houston's 13-point lead, 11 points in the final two minutes. Had one second left, inbounded it and banged a three to force OT.

WOW.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) March 25, 2024

99% win prob for Houston up 74-61. Just impossible this is in OT.

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) March 25, 2024

Houston’s Ryan Elvin has played a total of 173 minutes in his four seasons at Houston.

In the game with a Sweet 16 on the line and hits one of two from the line.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 25, 2024

If nothing else, A&M provided us with maybe the best moment of the tournament so far

— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) March 25, 2024

That Houston vs Texas A&M game was an absolute treat. March Madness is the best

— Nicole (@nic_andersen) March 25, 2024

No matter the outcome, Houston vs Texas A&M is the BEST game of the TOURNAMENT.

AND ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE.

— Fungoop (@fungoop) March 25, 2024

Now Houston will get to catch its breath for a moment but will then prepare for what will be a tough matchup against the Blue Devils.

Duke handled James Madison easily on Sunday, but Houston will be a tough challenge. The Cougars have been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball this year and they're not looking to let up against the five-time national champions.

The Blue Devils are looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since Mike Krzyzewski retired, and they'll have to get through a top seed to do it. The Cougars are looking for their first national championship in program history, and Duke will be a big test.

If the matchup between Duke and Houston is half as exciting as Sunday's game, it should be a good one.

Houston is looking poised for a big NCAA tournament run after the No. 1 Cougars dropped No. 16 Longwood 86-46 on Friday.

Houston wrapped the game up easily in the first half, heading into the break leading 43-16. The Cougars could put things in cruise control early on in the second half and relax before their Round of 32 matchup against No. 9 Texas A&M.

L.J. Cryer led the way for Houston with 17 points, while Emanuel Sharp, Jamal Shead and Damian Dunn were also double figures.

After the Cougars dominant Round of 64 matchup, fans are ready to declare Houston a title favorite while dreaming of a potential matchup against Connecticut in the championship game:

I would pay good money to see a UConn-Houston title game.

— Carter Bahns (@carterbahns) March 23, 2024

We need Houston v UConn national championship bad

— Barksdale (@TzToldYa) March 23, 2024

Props to any team who stops a UConn vs Houston national championship. Both teams look unbelievably dominant.

— Josh (@JoshGuerrlich) March 23, 2024

Houston has matched their point total for the Big12 Championship game in the first half tonight.

— Passiønate Fan (@tKCyclone) March 23, 2024

Houston just dominant

— Josue Orozco (@Orozconlecheeee) March 23, 2024

I think UConn wins. But Houston and UConn would be all kinds of fun

— William (@William141989) March 23, 2024

Only team with a more impressive 1st half at both ends than Houston is UConn

— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) March 23, 2024

U of H did what they were suppose to do. #GoCoogs #MarchMadness2024

— Houston vs all yall (@BLM365_) March 23, 2024

This one enters the record books at 10:59 p.m. as an 86-46 Houston win. The Cougars (31-4) meet Texas A&M on Sunday in what should be a really good second round matchup.

— James (Bucky) Dent (@writingump) March 23, 2024

16 Longwood 46
1 Houston 86
Final

Dominant.

NEXT: 9 Texas A&M, Sunday, TBA

— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) March 23, 2024

To get there, the Cougars have a potential path that would have them face teams like Purdue, Tennessee and Marquette. A championship appearance could see them face off against one of the top teams on the other side of the bracket like UConn or North Carolina.

Houston still has a long way to go in the tournament, but picking up a dominant win on Friday is a good start.

Houston dominated the Big 12 all season long on its way to a regular season title, but Iowa State spoiled the Cougars' first year in the conference with a 69-41 win in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on Saturday.

The loss was shocking given Houston's recent success. The Cougars cruised through the Big 12 tournament and were coming off an 82-59 win over Texas Tech on Friday. Just a week ago, Houston beat Kansas by 30 points.

On Saturday, the Cougars shot an abysmal 26.8 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from deep. Jamal Shead was the only Cougar in double digits on the night.

The rout from Iowa State stunned college basketball fans. The Cyclones have been great all season, but a dominant win over the No. 1 team in the country wasn't exactly expected.

Guys, Iowa State has outscored Houston 24-5 so far in the second half.

— Chris Williams (@ChrisMWilliams) March 16, 2024

I appreciate Houston getting a gawd-awful shooting performance out of their system in a game where everything else is going wrong anyway

— The Scott & Holman Pawdcast (@SHPawdcast) March 16, 2024

Iowa State leads Houston at halftime 30-23. ISU is the first team to hold the Coogs to 25 points or less in a half 👀

Thoughts??? pic.twitter.com/4ykkKO8cnV

— Barstool Big12 (@BarstoolBig12) March 16, 2024

Iowa State getting ready to double up Houston with seven minutes left in the second half.

— Wide Right & Natty Lite (@WideRtNattyLt) March 16, 2024

How about the Iowa State Cyclones. That's as impressive as any performance we've seen from a team this year. I'm serious. NOBODY punks Houston. TJ Otzelberger is outstanding, and so is the team from Ames. Big time!

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 17, 2024

Iowa State is doing WHAT to Houston?!!

— Legs (@legsanity) March 16, 2024

Iowa State vs Houston is the perfect example of the fact that college basketball may be the most unpredictable sport in the world. Literally anyone can beat literally anyone at any time.

— Shea (@sheapayne14) March 16, 2024

Seeing Iowa State vs Houston score: pic.twitter.com/yLIkxtaUFc

— ライリー Draft Week (@RY3_bread) March 16, 2024

I thought Iowa State could beat Houston. I never imagined it would be like THIS.

Dominant display from the Cyclones

— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) March 16, 2024

I did not have Iowa State doubling up Houston on my Big 12 Tournament Final bingo card…

— RC Maxfield (@RCMB323) March 16, 2024

Pretty loud statement being made by Iowa State in taking on #1 ranked Houston in the Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship and nearing outscoring it by 2x.

— Alicia Jessop (@RulingSports) March 16, 2024

Houston men’s basketball is being humbled right now against Iowa state. If you saw this coming then you’re lying to yourself.

— Scotty B (@Scotty_BU_King) March 16, 2024

This is by far the most impressive win in College Basketball all year

Iowa State is flat out dominating Houston

— RC Maxfield (@RCMB323) March 16, 2024

Luckily for the Cougars, the poor performance came before the NCAA tournament rather than during it. It's likely Houston still gets a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, and the Cougars will be looking to bounce back quickly.

Iowa State made a statement with the win, putting the nation on notice heading into the tournament. The Cyclones haven't made it past the Sweet 16 since the 1999-2000 season, but they seem well-equipped to have a deep run this year.

In a contest heralded by many as the best game of the 2023-24 men's college basketball season, the No. 2 Houston Cougars held off the No. 11 Baylor Bears 82-76 in overtime at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

Houston led 41-25 at halftime and seemed to be in firm control, but Baylor staged a furious comeback in the second half, outscoring the Cougars 44-28 to force overtime.

The game nearly ended in dramatic fashion at the end of regulation, as Baylor center Yves Missi missed a go-ahead free throw with 4.4 seconds remaining, and Houston guard Jamal Shead seemingly hit a long three at the buzzer:

WE ARE HEADED TO OT IN WACO 🚨 pic.twitter.com/MiZoFdJtQd

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 24, 2024

However, after review, it was determined that the ball was still on Shead's fingertips when time ran out, so the game went to OT.

In the extra session, Houston led 73-72 with 2:14 remaining, at which point the Cougars reeled off eight consecutive points to put the game away.

Given the back-and-forth nature of the matchup and the buzzer beater that wasn't, college basketball fans lauded Saturday's game on social media with several calling it the best game in the college ranks this season:

Baylor vs Houston is the game of the year in college basketball so far

— 🏄🏾‍♂️ (@ReyZach_) February 24, 2024

If you are not watching the UH vs Baylor basketball game you are missing the game of the year!

— Anne Vallette (@kavallette) February 24, 2024

Baylor Houston with game of the year vibes

— Ben Fletcher (@Fletchsports) February 24, 2024

This Houston-Baylor game has to be game of the year so far 🔥

— Chris Benson (@orangecrush1310) February 24, 2024

This Baylor Houston game is absolutely unreal lol

— Blair Montgomery (@MontyParlay) February 24, 2024

Game of the Year in Waco

— Sepp Shirey (@sepptimus_44) February 24, 2024

houston baylor game of the year EASILY

— bun (@bun_bunjamin) February 24, 2024

Houston vs Baylor is game of the year. This rules. Best sport on earth

— J French (@JFrench__) February 24, 2024

As is usually the case for head coach Kelvin Sampson's Houston team, the Cougars won with a balanced attack, as Emanuel Sharp, J'Wan Roberts, L.J. Cryer and Shead all scored between 12 and 18 points.

Meanwhile, the Bears wasted a pair of 20-point games, as Ja'Kobe Walter led all scorers with 23 and Rayj Dennis finished with 21.

With the win, Houston improved to 24-3 on the season and 11-3 in Big 12 play, earning it a ton of respect from college basketball analysts:

Big 12 teams winning 81.1 percent of their home games, more than 20 percent higher than the national average per KenPom. Big for Houston to win in Waco. Cougars deserve more consideration for overall No. 1 seed.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) February 24, 2024

FINAL: No. 2 Houston 82, No. 11 Baylor 76. In overtime. In Waco.

Incredible first half from Houston, great comeback from Baylor, Houston closes it out in OT.

Cougars make case for No. 1 with wins this week over Iowa State and Baylor — arguably their two best of the season.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 24, 2024

In its first season as a member of the best conference in college basketball, Houston will get a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Cougars adapting to their new environment better than anyone anticipated. What a team, what a program.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 24, 2024

With both No. 1 UConn and No. 3 Purdue losing over the past week, there is a strong possibility that the Cougars could be the No. 1 team in the nation in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll next week.

Houston beat No. 6 Iowa State and No. 11 Baylor in back-to-back games, which suggests it has what it takes to go the distance in the NCAA tournament.

The selection committee already listed Houston as a No. 1 seed in its early March Madness preview, but Saturday's win suggests the Cougars are in a position to be the No. 1 overall seed.

Houston men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson was confused by his team being favored over No. 8 Kansas at home following the Cougars' 78-65 loss on Saturday.

"Someone told me we were favored in this game," Sampson said after the defeat, per reporter Jeff Goodman. "That's sacrilegious."

The Jayhawks have been dominant once again at Allen Fieldhouse during their 2023-24 season, owning a perfect 12-0 record at home after Saturday's victory.

Under legendary head coach Bill Self, Kansas has been nearly impossible to beat at home. Since Self took over the program in 2003, the Jayhawks own a record of 320-17 at Allen Fieldhouse. Their last home loss was in Jan. 2023, a surprising 83-60 defeat at the hands of TCU.

Despite Houston entering the contest as the No. 4-ranked team in the country, it's even more surprising that the Cougars were favored given the team's struggles on the road this season. Entering Saturday's action, both of Houston's losses in 2024 have come away from home. The Cougars barely escaped with a road win in their previous game, a narrow 76-72 victory over Texas in overtime on Monday.

Houston was unable to find any shooting rhythm as a team, as its 65 points scored was tied for the squad's third-lowest mark of the season. The Cougars shot just 36 percent from the field and 31 percent from behind the arc, routinely misfiring on lightly contested looks. It's evident that the Jayhawks crowd played a factor in the game, although Sampson was dismayed with his team's lack of energy.

"I told them I was disappointed in their effort," he said after the loss, per Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. "That's not who we are."

The Cougars will attempt to right the ship in their next game, a matchup with Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Mercy Miller, a 4-star shooting guard out of Sherman Oaks, California's Notre Dame High School and the son of hip-hop artist and producer Master P, landed a $1.4 million NIL deal with Greek yogurt company Sweetkiwi, according to Slam.

Mercy Miller just netted a $1.4 million NIL deal with Sweetkiwi as their newest brand ambassador.

Master P’s son is currently on a tear as a senior with Notre Dame HS, recently dropping 29 points in a win over No. 1 Harvard-Westlake. pic.twitter.com/B2Dkq4seGr

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 22, 2024

Miller is considered the No. 91 overall player in the class of 2024, the No. 16 shooting guard and the No. 11 player from the state of California, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He is committed to Houston.

"I'm thrilled to partner with Sweetkiwi," he said in a press release. "Their focus on health and flavor mirrors my lifestyle on and off the court. I'm eager to introduce these fantastic products and our shared values to a wider audience."

Per that release, Sweetkiwi's "strategic partnership" with the young hooper highlights the company's "dedication to promoting healthy lifestyles among young athletes and sports enthusiasts."

"Having Miller as our brand ambassador is a perfect match," founder and CEO Ehime Eigbe said. "His dedication to health and wellness reflects our brand's mission. We're excited to collaborate with him and make a positive impact together."

Miller is having quite the season. Over the weekend, he put up 29 points in a 59-54 upset of Harvard-Westlake, the top-ranked team in California going into the contest. And in December, he scored a school-record 68 points in a 104-44 victory over Oakwood, shooting a ridiculous 28-of-38 from the field.

His father, Percy Miller—aka Master P—is most famous for his career in music. But he was a very good basketball player himself and even earned a preseason tryout with both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the late 1990s.

The scouting report on Master P was that he had a crafty, old-man-playing-pickup type of game and was an excellent shooter, but he didn't quite have the overall athleticism or burst to stick in the NBA. His son might end up living out those dreams, however.

The last unbeaten team in the nation fell on Tuesday night in a surprising upset.

No. 2 Houston suffered a 57-53 loss to unranked Iowa State in a road matchup. The loss dropped the Cougars' record to 14-1 this season.

Iowa State was coming off a 71-63 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, which snapped a six-game win streak. That loss apparently fueled the Cyclones, as they blitzed the Cougars right from the opening tip.

Iowa State opened Tuesday's game with 14 unanswered points and never looked back. The Cyclones led by 12 and took a 31-21 lead into halftime. Houston managed to tie the game at 41 and again at 53, but Iowa State remained poised enough to secure the win. Milan Momcilovic hit the go-ahead jumper with 31 seconds left and then sealed the game with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 14 points while Momcilovic added 11 points. They overcame a 20-point performance by Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with Houston shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three-point range while Iowa State shot 38.3 percent overall and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc. However, the Cyclones earned 22 attempts from the free-throw line and made 18 of them, while the Cougars got to the line just 12 times.

Houston will look to bounce back on Saturday in a road matchup against TCU. Iowa State will return to action that same day at home against Oklahoma State.

Former Houston basketball player Reggie Chaney died at the age of 23, according to a statement released by the school Monday night.

"The news has left us with sad and heavy hearts," Houston president Renu Khator said in a statement.

Chaney, who began his college basketball career at Arkansas, transferred to Houston for the final three seasons of his eligibility and emerged as a critical contributor off the bench. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while adding stellar defense last season on his way to earning AAC Sixth Man of the Year honors.

During Chaney's three seasons at Houston, the Cougars won two regular-season AAC championships and reached the 2021 Final Four.

"I've always said, 'Reggie, you're my security blanket,'" Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters in March. "Some days when it's hot, I may not need you, but if there's a little bit of a chill in the air, it's good to know I've got that blanket there."

Eric Musselman, who coached Chaney at Arkansas, released a statement on his death:

The Razorback men’s basketball family is devastated to hear of the loss of Reggie Chaney. He was a relentless worker and loved by his teammates. His family is in our thoughts and prayers. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/p3E33QhFBC

— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) August 22, 2023

Details surrounding the cause of Chaney's death have not been released. He had been planning to continue his basketball career with AE Psychiko, a professional team based in Greece.

Mercy Miller, 4-star guard prospect and son of rap mogul Master P, said he chose Houston over Duke because of his relationship with Kelvin Sampson.

"It was between Houston and Duke for me when I was growing up. When I went to Houston, I really fell in love with it. When they offered me, Coach Kelvin Sampson — he's a great guy and the connection was there so I just felt might as well just wrap it up and get this over with," Miller told TMZ Sports.

Miller announced his commitment to Houston in August 2021, nearly three full years before he graduates in 2024. He is currently ranked as the No. 102 player in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

"[Sampson] recognized Mercy's talent from 9th-grade summer and he said he's been around a lot of special players, some of the top players in the world and he said the way he felt about Mercy was only like three other players that he felt like that about when he seen him," Master P said.

It's worth noting Miller did not even have a Duke offer yet when he committed to Houston. His only official offers on the books at the time were to Hampton and Minnesota.

Miller is currently the only player committed to Houston in the 2024 class.

The Cougars have emerged as one of the premier programs in college basketball under Sampson, reaching at least the Sweet 16 in four straight NCAA tournaments. The program is set to join the Big 12 Conference for the 2023-24 season after dominating in the American Athletic Conference.

While Sampson has regularly coached up 3- and 4-star prospects over the course of his time in Houston, the move to the Big 12 will put a larger spotlight on the program. Miller will have to continue improving his game if hopes to live up to the hype his 2021 commitment created around Houston.