Takeaways From Houston Cougars' Season-Opening Victory Over Lehigh
In this story:
The reigning national runner-up No. 2 Houston Cougars got their campaign mission back to the final 40 minutes off on the right foot with a 75-57 win over Lehigh Monday night at Fertitta Center, the 800th win of coach Kelvin Sampson's career.
Although the night felt slow on multiple possessions for the Cougars, in which there were some sequences of lacking shot selection mixed with select turnovers, it's not entirely something to be alarmed about, considering the incoming freshman talent and how there will be multiple growing pains to start the season off.
Redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp however, showed no signs of slowing down offensively has he led the way with a stout 24-point performance on 7 of 13 in shooting. Continuing to draw opportunities at the stripe is crucial as the leading free-throw shooter for the Cougars as he began 9 of 10 on the mark.
Sharp's performance was supplemented by multiple other factors, including the freshman display, and we're here to break the season-opening win down with a couple of key takeaways featuring the headlining career milestone.
A sight for sore eyes: A stretch big for Houston
Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. brought on a relieving sight as Houston's first true stretch frontcourt piece in a while for the program, as the more pieces on the starting five who can take a shot from beyond 10 feet, the better for the Cougars.
Cenac finished with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double that was largely fueled by a 10-point spot within the first six minutes of the game, showcasing his shot-making everywhere from the low post to the corner. This may have only been the beginning of his top 10 NBA draft profile trending upwards.
While there may be growing pains in Houston's talented freshman class, this is an incredible bright spot in terms of what could in stock down the line in marquee matchups and towards the start of league play in a deep Big 12 conference.
Career win No. 800 for Sampson
Sampson's head coaching career began at NAIA Montana Tech in 1981, where he racked up his first 73 career wins, three Frontier Conference championships and two NAIA district title games for the Orediggers.
This beginning was symbolized in one canvas painting he presented in his postgame press conference after he was joined by multiple people who were a part of his journey on the court in a postgame celebration.
Coach Kelvin Sampson with a custom canvas painting featuring the “Big M” hill in Butte, Montana, where he began his head coaching career with Montana Tech pic.twitter.com/6HaLIfCYDX
— Michael C. Carrara (@michaelcoalec) November 4, 2025
Flash forward four program stops, three Final Four appearances, seven combined Big 12 regular season and tournament championships and two NBA assistant stints later, and Sampson has joined an elite club featuring John Calipari, Bill Self, Rick Barnes and other notable names in grabbing career win No. 800.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.