Houston Basketball’s Winning Formula Will Not Change in 2025
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Houston Cougars basketball begins their 2025-26 season this Monday against Lehigh. With college basketball time about to get underway, excitement at Houston goes to another level.
To prepare for the year and figure out this new-look team, the Cougars played in The Preview CBB Exhibition game in Rosenberg, Texas, this past Sunday. Houston beat Mississippi State 61-52, and it was a great learning experience for the team.
Here is what head coach Kelvin Sampson’s biggest takeaway was to start his press conference.
Nothing Changes
The winning formula for Houston basketball has not changed since Sampson took the reins of the program in 2014. Under his leadership, the Cougars’ identity has been tough, physical defense, rebounding, and second-chance points. The winning culture is special and is constantly upheld by their players.
Although this is one of the youngest teams that Houston has had recently with the best freshman recruiting class in program history, the way to win does not change at all. Sampson and the Cougars do not replace players.
They put together a new team every season that plays to their culture. Houston has gone from Quentin Grimes to Marcus Sasser to Jamal Shead as the star on their team, and each season the Cougars continue to be one of the premier programs in college basketball.
With the 2025-26 team having multiple new pieces, the exhibition game was important. It also showed that their recipe for success does not change. In the win, Houston had 62 shot attempts compared to 40 for Mississippi.
“That has always been part of our formula,” Sampson said.
UH only turned the ball over nine times with multiple freshmen playing big minutes.
“That would be top five in the nation,” Sampson said.
The Bulldogs had 16 turnovers. The turnover margin and Houston’s offensive rebounding always give the Cougars a chance to win any ballgame, no matter how badly they shoot. The Cougars offense will run through different players this year after J'Wan Roberts and L.J. Cryer left, but their winning formula does not change.
“We missed 40 shots tonight, and got 19 of them back. That is the way we have played around here forever. We’ve averaged almost 30 wins a year for eight years playing exactly that way,” Sampson said. “Not a lot of teams can win when the ball doesn’t go in. We can.”
The Same Result
He also mentioned how this exhibition win was no different than the Duke game, in terms of the winning blueprint. Houston freshman center Chris Cenac Jr. had 10 rebounds, five of those defensive.
He and freshman point guard Kingston Flemings each played 29 minutes in the starting lineup, with Flemings corralling three defensive boards. Isiah Harwell played 15 minutes and got four rebounds.
While the freshmen will always have a lot to learn, they seem to understand Houston’s game plan.
“We have a definitive plan on how to win,” Sampson said.
Houston is already adhering to that plan well before the season begins.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.