Veteran Guard Stays Hot as No. 8 Houston Cougars Dominate No. 14 Arkansas
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The No. 8 Houston Cougars (10-1) cruised to their second-ranked win of the season with a 94-85 victory over the No. 14-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks (9-2). It was a solid night offensively for the Cougars as they missed a season-high in scoring by just five points.
One of the driving factors of Houston's offensive surge was veteran guard Emanuel Sharp. The Tampa, Florida, native stunned the Razorbacks by reaching the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season. Shooting 6 of 13 from the floor, Sharp put up a whopping 22 points, three rebounds, and one assist in 31 minutes on the court.
Even while averaging over 17 points per game, it still seems like Sharp isn't being talked about enough by the national media. While Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. have rightfully drawn attention as two of the more impressive freshmen in college basketball, Sharp continues to produce at an extremely high level.
Could Sharp Flying Under the Radar be an Advantage for the Cougars?
It's widely understood that Big 12 conference play is an entirely different beast compared to the out-of-conference schedule. With six programs currently in the top-20, league play becomes a grind for every team in the league. Even the No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats will have their struggles at times.
In a league where every week becomes your most difficult one, it's often the overlooked players that end up being the difference in a win and a loss. Over the course of Big 12 play, production from the more steady, under-the-radar contributors can be just as valuable as some of the more well-known names.
A steady contributor is the perfect way to describe Sharp at this point in time. He consistently provides for the Cougars on a nightly basis, frequently reaching double-digit points. Perhaps it's because of that steady production in scoring that Sharp hasn't been highlighted as much this season.
In a conference where games are constantly decided in the final minutes, a player who can be counted on like Sharp is invaluable. If Houston is going to secure their third straight regular season title and potentially their second straight Big 12 tournament title, they'll need Sharp's veteran experience both in the locker room and on the court.
The Guard's Growth Has Been Hard to Overlook
As a redshirt freshman, Sharp averaged 15.5 minutes per game in 33 appearances. He put up just 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. It was in his sophomore and junior seasons that he took on a much larger role for head coach Kelvin Sampson.
In his second and third seasons, Sharp took on a much larger role for the program as a starter for the Cougars. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the former three-star recruit put up 12.6 points per game along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals. While the guard saw improvement in his game as a scoring option for Houston as a sophomore and junior, it's still well below the level of production he's reached this season.
In 11 games for Houston this season, Sharp has averaged 17.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. As the Cougars get ready to enter Big 12 play in just a couple of weeks, all eyes will be on the guard to see if his offensive production can stay consistent.
