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The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. They compete as members of the Big 12 Conference. In addition to 26 NCAA tournament appearances, the Cougars have won 22 conference championships and have had several players and a coach elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
| Season | Final record | AP Poll | Coaches Poll |
| 1965–66 | 23–6 | 14 | |
| 1966–67 | 27–4 | 7 | 6 |
| 1967–68 | 31–2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1969–70 | 25–5 | 12 | 11 |
| 1970–71 | 22–7 | 14 | 18 |
| 1972–73 | 23–4 | 13 | 18 |
| 1977–78 | 25–8 | 16 | |
| 1982–83 | 31–3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983–84 | 32–5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2017–18 | 27–8 | 21 | 22 |
| 2018–19 | 33–4 | 11 | 12 |
| 2019–20 | 23–8 | 22 | 23 |
| 2020–21 | 28–4 | 6 | 3 |
| 2021–22 | 32–6 | 15 | 7 |
| 2022–23 | 33–4 | 2 | 6 |
| 2023–24 | 32–5 | 3 | 3 |
| 2024–25 | 35–5 | 2 | 2 |
| Coach | Tenure | Overallrecord | Conferencerecord | Conferenceregularseasontitles | Conferencetournamenttitles | NCAAtournamentappearances |
| Alden Pasche | 1945–1956 | 135–116 (.538) | 63–55 (.534) | 4 | 1 | |
| Guy Lewis | 1956–1986 | 592–279 (.680) | 134–98 (.578) | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| Pat Foster | 1986–1993 | 142–73 (.660) | 70–38 (.648) | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Alvin Brooks | 1993–1998 | 54–84 (.391) | 26–46 (.361) | |||
| Clyde Drexler | 1998–2000 | 19–39 (.328) | 7–25 (.219) | |||
| Ray McCallum | 2000–2004 | 44–73 (.376) | 24–40 (.375) | |||
| Tom Penders | 2004–2010 | 121–77 (.611) | 56–38 (.596) | 1 | 1 | |
| James Dickey | 2010–2014 | 64–62 (.508) | 26–40 (.394) | |||
| Kelvin Sampson | 2014–present | 299–84 (.781) | 151–48 (.759) | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Totals | 1,470–887 (.624) | 13 | 9 | 26 | ||
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1956 | Regional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game | SMUKansas State | L 74–89L 70–89 | |
| 1961 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game | MarquetteKansas StateTexas Tech | W 77–61L 64–75L 67–69 | |
| 1965 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game | Notre DameOklahoma StateSMU | W 99–98L 60–75L 87–89 | |
| 1966 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game | Colorado StateOregon StatePacific | W 82–76L 60–63W 102–91 | |
| 1967 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional finalsFinal FourNational 3rd-place game | New Mexico StateKansasSMUUCLANorth Carolina | W 59–58W 66–53W 83–75L 58–73W 84–62 | |
| 1968 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional finalsFinal FourNational 3rd-place game | Loyola–ChicagoLouisvilleTCUUCLAOhio State | W 94–76W 91–75W 103–68L 69–101L 85–89 | |
| 1970 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game | DaytonDrakeKansas State | W 71–64L 87–92L 98–107 | |
| 1971 | Regional quarterfinalsRegional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game | New Mexico StateKansasNotre Dame | W 72–69L 77–78W 119–106 | |
| 1972 | Regional quarterfinals | Texas | L 74–85 | |
| 1973 | Regional quarterfinals | Southwestern Louisiana | L 89–102 | |
| 1978 | (4Q) | First round | (2L) Notre Dame | L 77–100 |
| 1981 | | First round | Villanova | L 72–90 |
| 1982 | | First roundSecond roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal Four | Alcorn State#3 Tulsa#2 Missouri#8 Boston College#1 North Carolina | W 94–84W 78–74W 79–78W 99–92L 63–68 |
| 1983 | | Second roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourNational Championship | Maryland#4 Memphis State#3 Villanova#1 Louisville#6 NC State | W 60–50W 70–63W 89–71W 94–81L 52–54 |
| 1984 | | Second roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourNational Championship | Louisiana Tech#6 Memphis State#4 Wake Forest#7 Virginia#1 Georgetown | W 77–70W 78–71W 68–63W 49–47 OTL 75–84 |
| 1987 | | First round | Kansas | L 55–66 |
| 1990 | | First round | UC Santa Barbara | L 66–70 |
| 1992 | | First round | Georgia Tech | L 60–65 |
| 2010 | | First round | Maryland | L 77–89 |
| 2018 | | First roundSecond round | San Diego State#3 Michigan | W 67–65L 63–64 |
| 2019 | | First roundSecond roundSweet Sixteen | Georgia State#11 Ohio State#2 Kentucky | W 84–55W 74–59L 58–62 |
| 2021 | | First roundSecond roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal Four | Cleveland State#10 Rutgers#11 Syracuse#12 Oregon State#1 Baylor | W 87–56W 63–60W 62–46W 67–61L 59–78 |
| 2022 | | First roundSecond roundSweet SixteenElite Eight | UAB#4 Illinois#1 Arizona#2 Villanova | W 82–68W 68–53W 72–60L 44–50 |
| 2023 | | First roundSecond roundSweet Sixteen | Northern Kentucky#9 Auburn#5 Miami (FL) | W 63–52W 81–64L 75–89 |
| 2024 | | First roundSecond roundSweet Sixteen | Longwood#9 Texas A&M#4 Duke | W 86–46W 100–95 OTL 51–54 |
| 2025 | | First roundSecond roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourNational Championship | SIU Edwardsville#8 Gonzaga#4 Purdue#2 Tennessee#1 Duke#1 Florida | W 78–40W 81–76W 62–60W 69–50W 70–67L 63–65 |
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1962 | Quarterfinals | Dayton | L 77–94 |
| 1977 | First roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal | Indiana StateIllinois StateAlabamaSt. Bonaventure | W 83–82W 91–90W 82–76L 91–94 |
| 1985 | First round | Lamar | L 71–78 |
| 1988 | First roundSecond round | FordhamColorado State | W 69–61L 61–71 |
| 1991 | First round | Stanford | L 86–93 |
| 1993 | First round | UTEP | L 61–67 |
| 2002 | Opening round | Vanderbilt | L 50–59 |
| 2005 | Opening round | Wichita State | L 69–85 |
| 2006 | First roundSecond round | BYUMissouri State | W 77–67L 59–60 |
| 2016 | First round | Georgia Tech | L 62–81 |
| 2017 | First round | Akron | L 75–78 |
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2008 | First roundQuarterfinalsSemifinals | NevadaValparaisoTulsa | W 80–79W 91–67L 69–73 |
| 2009 | First round | Oregon State | L 45–49 |
| 2013 | First roundQuarterfinals | TexasGeorge Mason | W 73–72L 84–88 OT |
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1946 | First roundSecond round | High PointIndiana State | W 63–34L 43–62 |
| 1947 | First roundSecond round | Montana StateArizona State–Flagstaff | W 60–58L 42–44 3OT |
| Draft year | Round | Pick (overall) | Player | Position | Drafted by |
| 1947 | 5 | 49 | Charles Raynor | G | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952 | 9 | 96 | Royce Ray | G | Rochester Royals |
| 1954 | 10 | 81 | Gary Shivers | C | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1955 | 8 | 69 | Don Boldebuck | C | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1956 | 6 | 46 | Don Boldebuck | C | Boston Celtics |
| 13 | 70 | Arthur Helms | F | St. Louis Hawks | |
| 1961 | 1 | 9 | Gary Phillips | G | Boston Celtics |
| 2 | 15 | Ted Luckenbill | F | Philadelphia Warriors | |
| 1963 | 3 | 25 | Lyle Harger | F | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1965 | 14 | 101 | Jack Morgenthal | G | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1967 | 10 | 105 | Don Kruse | C | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1968 | 1 | 1 | Elvin Hayes | F/C | San Diego Rockets |
| 1 | 12 | Don Chaney | G | Boston Celtics | |
| 1969 | 2 | 20 | Ken Spain | C | Chicago Bulls |
| 9 | 117 | George Reynolds | G | Detroit Pistons | |
| 1970 | 11 | 183 | Melvin Bell | F | Baltimore Bullets |
| 12 | 189 | Ollie Taylor | G | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| 1971 | 4 | 56 | Poo Welch | G | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1972 | 1 | 3 | Dwight Davis | F | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1973 | 1 | 9 | Dwight Jones | F/C | Atlanta Hawks |
| 3 | 47 | Steve Newsome | F | Chicago Bulls | |
| 1975 | 4 | 59 | Louis Dunbar | F | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 5 | 78 | Maurice Presley | C | Portland Trail Blazers | |
| 1976 | 5 | 78 | Dave Marrs | F | Houston Rockets |
| 1977 | 1 | 2 | Otis Birdsong | G | Kansas City Kings |
| 1978 | 5 | 89 | Cecile Rose | G | New Jersey Nets |
| 6 | 128 | Charles Thompson | F | Phoenix Suns | |
| 1979 | 4 | 71 | Larry Rogers | F | New York Knicks |
| 1980 | 9 | 189 | Ken Williams | G | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1982 | 1 | 19 | Rob Williams | G | Denver Nuggets |
| 6 | 136 | Lynden Rose | G | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 1983 | 1 | 14 | Clyde Drexler | G/F | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2 | 29 | Larry Micheaux | F | Chicago Bulls | |
| 1984 | 1 | 1 | Akeem Olajuwon | C | Houston Rockets |
| 1 | 24 | Michael Young | G/F | Boston Celtics | |
| 10 | 208 | Carl Lewis | G | Chicago Bulls | |
| 1985 | 5 | 103 | Reid Gettys | G | Chicago Bulls |
| 1986 | 4 | 80 | Alvin Franklin | G | Sacramento Kings |
| 1987 | 1 | 23 | Cadillac Anderson | F/C | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2 | 28 | Rickie Winslow | F | Chicago Bulls | |
| 1988 | 2 | 26 | Rolando Ferreira | C | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1990 | 2 | 30 | Carl Herrera | F | Miami Heat |
| 1991 | 2 | 44 | Álvaro Teherán | C | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1994 | 2 | 52 | Anthony Goldwire | G | Phoenix Suns |
| 2001 | 2 | 51 | Alton Ford | C | Phoenix Suns |
| 2017 | 2 | 44 | Damyean Dotson | G | New York Knicks |
| 2021 | 1 | 25 | Quentin Grimes | G | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2023 | 1 | 8 | Jarace Walker | F | Washington Wizards |
| 1 | 25 | Marcus Sasser | G | Memphis Grizzlies |
| † | Consensus first-team selection | ||||
| ‡ | Consensus second-team selection | ||||
| AP | Associated Press | UPI | United Press International |
| NABC | National Association of Basketball Coaches | USBWA | United States Basketball Writers Association |
| SN | The Sporting News |
| Year | Player | Position | Selector(s) |
| 1961 | Gary Phillips | G | USBWA (1st) |
| 1967 | Elvin Hayes† | F/C | AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), UPI (1st) |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes† | F/C | AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), UPI (1st) |
| 1972 | Dwight Davis | F | AP (2nd) |
| 1977 | Otis Birdsong† | G | AP (2nd), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), UPI (1st) |
| 1981 | Rob Williams | G | AP (3rd) |
| 1983 | Clyde Drexler‡ | G/F | AP (2nd), USBWA (1st), UPI (3rd) |
| 1984 | Akeem Olajuwon† | C | AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), UPI (2nd) |
| Michael Young | G/F | AP (3rd), NABC (3rd), UPI (3rd) | |
| 2021 | Quentin Grimes | G | AP (3rd), USBWA (3rd), NABC (3rd), SN (3rd) |
| 2023 | Marcus Sasser† | G | AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), SN (2nd) |
| 2024 | Jamal Shead† | G | AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), SN (1st) |
| 2025 | LJ Cryer | G | AP (3rd), USBWA (3rd), NABC (3rd), SN (3rd) |
| Season | Player | Position | Conference |
| 1976–77 | Otis Birdsong | G | Southwest |
| 1980–81 | Rob Williams | G | |
| 1982–83† | Clyde Drexler | G/F | |
| 1983–84 | Akeem Olajuwon | C | |
| 2020–21† | Quentin Grimes | G | The American |
| 2022–23 | Marcus Sasser | G | |
| 2023–24 | Jamal Shead | G | Big 12 |
| Season | Coach | Conference |
| 1955–56 | Alden Pasche | Missouri Valley |
| 1982–83 | Guy Lewis | Southwest |
| 1983–84 | ||
| 1991–92 | Pat Foster | |
| 2017–18 | Kelvin Sampson | The American |
| 2018–19 | ||
| 2021–22 | ||
| 2022–23 | ||
| 2023–24 | Big 12 | |
| 2024–25 |
| Year inducted | Name | Position | Tenure | Ref. |
| 1990 | Elvin Hayes | F/C | 1965–1968 | |
| 2004 | Clyde Drexler | G/F | 1980–1983 | |
| 2008 | Hakeem Olajuwon | C | 1981–1984 | |
| 2013 | Guy Lewis | Coach | 1953–1986 |
| Houston Cougars retired numbers | |||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | Ref. | |
| 10 | Otis Birdsong | G | 1973–1977 | ||
| 22 | Clyde Drexler | G/F | 1980–1983 | ||
| 24 | Don Chaney | G | 1965–1968 | ||
| 34 | Hakeem Olajuwon | C | 1981–1984 | ||
| 42 | Michael Young | G/F | 1980–1984 | ||
| 44 | Elvin Hayes | F/C | 1965–1968 | ||