Men’s Basketball Tabbed as Big 12 Conference Preseason Favorite

Ramon Walker Jr., Preseason Big 12 Conference Coaches Poll

HOUSTON – For the first time in school history, the University of Houston Men's Basketball program was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.

Under the leadership of two-time defending Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars received all but two first-place votes and collected 224 points to earn the distinction for the first time in their three-year history in the league.

It also marked the seventh consecutive season in which Houston was selected among the Top Two in its conference preseason poll.

Senior guard Emanuel Sharp, senior point guard Milos Uzan and junior forward Joseph Tugler were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team with Uzan being a unanimous selection on the coaches' ballots.

BYU received one first-place vote and 204 points to stand second in the poll while Texas Tech was third with 200 points.

Arizona received one first-place vote and was in fourth at 179 points with Iowa State (170), Kansas (163), Baylor (137), Cincinnati (120), Kansas State (117), TCU (90), West Virginia (79), Oklahoma State (77), Utah (50), UCF (39), Colorado (37) and Arizona State (34) completing the poll.

AJ Dybantasa (BYU), Richie Saunders (BYU), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), PJ Haggerty (Kansas State), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech) and JT Toppin joined the Cougars on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Dybantsa, Peterson and Toppin joined Uzan as unanimous selections by the coaches.

Toppin was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year while teammate LeJuan Watts was recognized as the Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Peterson garnered honors as the Freshman of the Year.

ABOUT EMANUEL SHARP
Sharp was a key leader for the Cougars during their run to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game.

He ranked second among the Cougars with 12.6 points and 2.4 3-point field goals per game on the way to being named 2024-25 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

The Tampa, Fla., native elevated his play in the postseason. After averaging 20.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 treys per game while leading Houston to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship crown, Sharp was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, a first for the Cougars in school history.

Scoring 17 points against #22/22 (4) Purdue and 16 points with four 3-pointers against #6/6 (2) Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, Sharp added NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player honors to his trophy case a few weeks later.

He joined legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon as the only Cougars to be named Most Outstanding Player of a conference tournament and an NCAA Tournament Regional in the same season.

ABOUT MILOS UZAN
Competing in his second season at Houston, Uzan electrified Cougar fans with his decision in May to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to the University for his final season of eligibility.

After transferring from Oklahoma in the summer of 2024, Uzan emerged as an offensive leader for the Cougars during the 2024-25 season.

He ranked third on the team with 11.4 points per game and led the Cougars and ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 4.3 assists per game.

With a 2.98 assist-turnover ratio, the Las Vegas native topped Houston, finished third in the league and ranked 11^th nationally with that total.

Uzan scored eight points and dished out a season-high 10 assists in his Houston debut during the season opener against Jackson State and posted 24 games with one or fewer turnovers.

He flirted with a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Houston's thrilling come-from-behind win in double overtime at Kansas. He tipped a KU inbounds pass into the hands of guard Mylik Wilson, who drained the game-tying 3-pointer to force the second extra period.

For that performance, Uzan was named the Big 12's Player of the Week and was recognized as a USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.

He scored double-digit points in 25 games with a career-high 25 points in Houston's win over rv/#24 (3) Arizona during the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Title Game in Kansas City, Mo.

Uzan was named to the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team and captured a place on the NABC All-Gulf District Team as well as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team.

Joseph Tugler, Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team

Joseph Tugler, Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team

ABOUT JOSEPH TUGLER
Tugler burst into the national spotlight and established himself as one of the nation's premier defensive players during the 2024-25 season.

He was one of only five Cougars to compete in all 40 games to set a school single-season record and was recognized as the Lefty Driesell Award recipient. That honor is presented annually to the nation's top defensive player.

The Monroe, La., native ranked among the national and Big 12 leaders with 1.9 blocked shots per game and stood second among the Cougars with 5.9 rebounds per contest.

Tugler grabbed 7+ rebounds in 18 games, including a season-high 11 boards in the Cougars' NCAA Tournament Second-Round win over #24/23 (8) Gonzaga.

He also blocked 3+ shots in 11 games, including a stunning eight swats against #9/9 Alabama during the first day of the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, to become only the sixth Cougar in school history to block 8+ shots in a game.

For his impressive performances throughout the year, Tugler was a Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE finalist.

UP NEXT
Houston opens its 2025-26 season during The Preview CBB Exhibition against Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 26, inside Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas.

Tickets for the game are on sale now by clicking here.

The Cougars begin their 2025-26 regular-season schedule when they play host to Lehigh on Monday, Nov. 3, inside Fertitta Center. Houston will unveil its 2024-25 NCAA Final Four banner on the Fertitta Center concourse, and Sampson looks to make history as he goes for the 800^th win of his career.

Single-game home tickets for all games inside Fertitta Center are now on sale, and fans are encouraged to purchase quickly while supplies last. The two-time defending Big 12 Conference Champions, the Cougars will play host to 16 home games inside Fertitta Center with seven in non-conference play and nine in Big 12 action in 2025-26.

Fans can purchase single-game tickets by clicking here.

Fans interested in purchasing group tickets may complete this form to be contacted by a member of the Houston Athletics Tickets Sales staff.

BUY SEASON TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.

ABOUT the COUGARS
Houston returns three starters and seven lettermen in 2025-26

The Cougars will be boosted with the addition one of the nation's top recruiting classes with freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., freshman guard Isiah Harwell, freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, freshman guard Bryce Jackson and senior forward Kalifa Sakho.

In 2024-25, the Cougars set a school single-season record with 35 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game inside Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Houston, which finished #2 in both national polls, won 31 of its final 33 games to end the season and advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the seventh time in program history – and the second time under Sampson – with a resounding 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee during the NCAA Elite Eight in Indianapolis on March 30.

The Cougars swept the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships in their second year in the league and set school and league records with a 19-1 mark in conference games. Houston became the first school to join a major conference and win the regular-season title in each of its first two years in the league in more than 100 years.

Houston posted a perfect 10-0 record in road games in Big 12 play, becoming the first program in NCAA Division I history to accomplish that feat in a season, and enter the 2025-26 season with the nation's longest active road winning streak at 14 straight games.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

– UHCougars.com –

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