The 2020–21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
during the
2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 25, 2020 and concluded on March 14, 2021. The 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament culminated the season and began on March 18 and concluded on April 5.
Season ...
. The Cougars were led by seventh-year head coach
Kelvin Sampson
Kelvin Dale Sampson (born October 5, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach for the University of Houston of the American Athletic Conference.
Early life
Sampson was born in the Lumbee Native American community of ...
as members of the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
. It was the third season that the team played its home games at the
Fertitta Center
The Fertitta Center, formerly known as Hofheinz Pavilion, is a 7,100-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams and ...
. They won their first ever
AAC tournament to clinch an auto-bid to the
NCAA tournament, where they were selected as a #2 seed in the Midwest Region. The team advanced to the Final Four for the first time since
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
. They eventually lost to
Baylor in the Final Four who went on to become the national champions that season.
Previous season
Houston finished the 2019–20 regular season 23–8, 13–5 in
AAC play, finishing tied for first place and winning a share of the regular season title. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the
AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Offseason
Departures
Incoming Transfers
2020 recruiting class
Houston also added
preferred walk-on Ryan Elvin, a 6'0" point guard from
Cedar Ridge High School in
Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census.
The city straddles the Bal ...
.
2021 Recruiting class
Preseason
AAC preseason media poll
On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards
Preseason Awards
* AAC Preseason Player of the Year - Caleb Mills
* All-AAC First Team - Caleb Mills
Roster
*May 27, 2020 –
Fabian White Jr. suffered a torn
ACL, leading him to sit out before returning for the February 18th game.
*January 5, 2021 – Caleb Mills entered the transfer portal. Mills would eventually transfer to
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
.
Schedule and results
COVID-19 impact
Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the Cougars' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.
*The Cougars began a home-and-home series with LSU and Alabama beginning in the 2020–2021. Both were eventually postponed due to the pandemic.
*Houston added a game vs.
Our Lady of the Lake on February 6.
*The game @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
originally scheduled for February 21 was moved to Houston.
*Houston added a game vs.
Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state.
;Always included
* The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...
on February 25.
*The game @
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
originally scheduled for March 7 was moved to Houston, after COVID-related issues with Memphis forced the first scheduled matchup between the teams scheduled for February 14 to be postponed.
Schedule
, -
!colspan=12 style=, Regular season
, -
!colspan=12 style=,
AAC Tournament
, -
, -
!colspan=9 style=,
NCAA tournament
, -
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll
Awards and honors
All-American
*Quentin Grimes – AP (3rd), USBWA (3rd), NABC (3rd), ''SN'' (3rd)
American Athletic Conference honors
All-AAC Awards
*
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
: Quentin Grimes
*Defensive Player of the Year: DeJon Jarreau
*Most Improved Player: Justin Gorham
All-AAC First Team
*Quentin Grimes
All-AAC Second Team
*DeJon Jarreau
*Justin Gorham
*Marcus Sasser
Source
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
Houston Cougars men's basketball seasons
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons