Is This The Year The Houston Cougars Finally Win March Madness?

The Houston Cougars came oh-so-close to winning their first men’s college basketball title in program history in 2025.

And then, the unthinkable happened.

In an all-time blunder, Emmanuel Sharp decided to pull down a potential game-winning shot, and the Florida Gators recovered a loose ball that sealed a title for the SEC power.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson’s face says it all: that was a crushing moment, one that could derail a lesser program.

But Houston isn’t a lesser program. They’ve been one of the best teams in the country in recent memory, reaching the Sweet 16 every year since 2018. And this year, they figure to be in the nation’s elite yet again.

The departures of LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts will obviously hurt; they were two of the biggest contributors for the squad over their time in Houston. Thankfully for the Cougars, they have solid reinforcements on the way.

Chris Cenac Jr. and Isiah Harwell were McDonald’s All-Americans in high school, and they headline a recruiting class that ranked No. 4 in the country. While they are freshman, Cenac Jr. especially is impressing the coaching staff with his offensive upside and his toughness - a must for any Cougar.

Then there’s the returners, which include a pair of experienced guards in Milos Uzan and Sharp. Throw in Joseph Tugler, a big man who should be able to take a huge leap forward this year, and you’ve got a formidable roster with a great balance of incoming talent and experienced vets.

As we all know, the college basketball season is as unforgiving as the Texas summer heat, and March Madness is perhaps more random than any tournament in sports (except for maybe the MLB playoffs).

But once March hits, it’s going to be hard to bet against a Houston team that came oh so close last year, and desperately wants to finish the job this time around.

We could be seeing a lot of red and white confetti in Indianapolis in the spring.