With March Madness already here, many college basketball programs have shown that they have the teams to compete in early April. Though, one team in particular has had my attention since November. From the years of experience of the head coach. To the talent on the court, the Houston Cougars might turn some heads.
Why I think the Cougars will succeed:
First off, Houston is a team who seemingly always plays late into March, and they are usually in conversations among the best teams in college basketball.
Head Coach, Kelvin Sampson does a great job getting the Cougars to play hard every game, whether they’re in a competitive or not. With their style of play and the way they are prepared, I see them getting to the Championship game on April 6.
For me, the biggest factor in why I think the Cougars will win it all is because of the way they performed last year. In the Final Four of the March Madness tournament, Houston played the Duke Blue Devils. The game was an absolute cinema, and it was one of the best games I have ever watched in college basketball. The Blue Devils had everything to lose in this because they had four of the most elite players in the sport: Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, and Tyrese Proctor. Houston had something to prove.
As I watched this game, I thought to myself, “no way this team of veteran players is going to take over the young stars on Duke.” But they in fact did. With a coaching masterclass from Sampson and a stellar execution on the court, the Cougars advanced to the National Championship game. Even though Houston failed to win the game against Florida, I believe they will come back better than ever in March.
There is plenty of statistical evidence to back up my point, but push stats aside and look at the roster. Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp Jr. are a dynamic duo in the backcourt who will torch your favorite college guards when it matters most. Sharp Jr. is a smart senior who leads the Cougars on and off the court. He has been tremendous in the growth of Flemings, who is a fearless freshman and a future National Basketball Association (NBA) star.
Some of the teams considered to be better than the Cougars that are ranked in the AP top 25 in college basketball, such as Nebraska, Purdue, Texas Tech, or Miami (OH), are simply fraudulent teams who are nowhere near the level of Houston. All roads lead to the Cougars at the tail end of March.
Why the stats and experts say the Cougars will succeed:
I believe that Houson will win March Madness, but it is more than my opinion, there are many statistical reasons that make my prediction very evident and possibly true.
Not only do the Cougars have a functional offense that ranks in the top half of all Division I teams, but their defense is off of the charts. According to Jaren Kawada at Yahoo Sports, the Cougars only allow 61.2 points per game, which is the fewest in the nation and they are setting themselves up for success.
“Like all Houston teams, Kelvin Sampson prides itself on defense, leading to the seventh-best scoring margin, despite only putting up 78.3 points themselves,” Kawada said.
Their solid offense does not hold them back as they have Flemings and Sharp Jr leading that end of the court.
“Houston is always an elite defensive team, but Sampson’s 2025 to 2026 squad might be the best offensive unit of his career. The Cougars are still not a high-octane offense, but they have two dominant go-to scoring guards in Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp Jr.,” Kawada said.
These two dominant guards start the show for Houston on offense, but their big men aren’t to be counted out.
Chris Cenac Jr. and Joseph ‘JoJo’ Tugler are a force to be reckoned with. According to College Basketball Analytics, the Cougars allow just 23.3 points in the paint per game. The two forwards combine to average 17.7 points, 13.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest.
From these statistics it is no suprise why they are ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
This season of college basketball has some of the most talented players in recent memory, and there are so many teams that could succeed in March. Houston has all the intangibles when you look at a team that is playing for one of the highest honors in college sports, which is lifting the National Championship trophy. They have the coaching, talent, and discipline. During a rough stretch in the season, they lost three games straight for the first time since 2017, but this is no concern for Sampson. This is just fuel to the fire and will make for an even greater story when the Cougars win the championship.
