The Houston Cougars is a college basketball team that represents the University of Houston in NCAA Division I Basketball. They were founded in 1945. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference and plays home games at Fertitta Center, which has a capacity of 7,100 fans. The 2024-2025 team is managed by the head coach, Kelvin Sampson, and it’s his eleventh season at Houston. The Cougars represent the colors of Scarlet and white. As of the 2024-2025 season, 49 of their former player were drafted in the NBA, including Damyean Dotson for the New York Knicks, Quentin Grimes for the Los Angeles Clippers, Jarace Walker for the Washington Wizards, Marcus Sasser for the Memphis Grizzlies, Jamal Shead for the Sacramento Kings, and many more.
Houston Cougars March Madness Playoff History
The Houston Cougars have made 26 appearances in the NCAA national championships. They were in the sweet sixteen 17 times, the Elite Eight eight times, the final four seven times. The Cougars were the runners-up twice in 1983 and 1984.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Regional Semifinals | SMU | L 74–89 |
| Regional 3rd-place game | Kansas State | L 70–89 | |
| 1961 | Regional Quarterfinals | Marquette | W 77–61 |
| Regional Semifinals | Kansas State | L 64–75 | |
| Regional 3rd-place game | Texas Tech | L 67–69 | |
| 1965 | Regional Quarterfinals | Notre Dame | W 99–98 |
| Regional Semifinals | Oklahoma State | L 60–75 | |
| Regional 3rd-place game | SMU | L 87–89 | |
| 1966 | Regional Quarterfinals | Colorado State | W 82–76 |
| Regional Semifinals | Oregon State | L 60–63 | |
| Regional 3rd-place game | Pacific | W 102–91 | |
| 1967 | Regional Quarterfinals | New Mexico State | W 59–58 |
| Regional Semifinals | Kansas | W 66–53 | |
| Regional Finals | SMU | W 83–75 | |
| Final Four | UCLA | L 58–73 | |
| National 3rd-place game | North Carolina | W 84–62 | |
| 1968 | Regional Quarterfinals | Loyola–Chicago | W 94–76 |
| Regional Semifinals | Louisville | W 91–75 | |
| Regional Finals | TCU | W 103–68 | |
| Final Four | UCLA | L 69–101 | |
| National 3rd-place game | Ohio State | L 85–89 | |
| 1970 | Regional Quarterfinals | Dayton | W 71–64 |
| Regional Semifinals | Drake | L 87–92 | |
| Regional 3rd-place game | Kansas State | L 98–107 | |
| 1971 | Regional Quarterfinals | New Mexico State | W 72–69 |
| Regional Semifinals | Kansas | L 77–78 | |
| Regional 3rd-place game | Notre Dame | W 119–106 | |
| 1972 | Regional Quarterfinals | Texas | L 74–85 |
| 1973 | Regional Quarterfinals | Southwestern Louisiana | L 89–102 |
| 1978 | First Round | (2L) Notre Dame | L 77–100 |
| 1981 | First Round | #9 Villanova | L 72–90 |
| 1982 | First Round | #11 Alcorn State | W 94–84 |
| Second Round | #3 Tulsa | W 78–74 | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #2 Missouri | W 79–78 | |
| Elite Eight | #8 Boston College | W 99–92 | |
| Final Four | #1 North Carolina | L 63–68 | |
| 1983 | Second Round | #8 Maryland | W 60–50 |
| Sweet Sixteen | #4 Memphis State | W 70–63 | |
| Elite Eight | #3 Villanova | W 89–71 | |
| Final Four | #1 Louisville | W 94–81 | |
| National Championship Game | #6 NC State | L 52–54 | |
| 1984 | Second Round | #10 Louisiana Tech | W 77–70 |
| Sweet Sixteen | #6 Memphis State | W 78–71 | |
| Elite Eight | #4 Wake Forest | W 68–63 | |
| Final Four | #7 Virginia | W 49–47 OT | |
| National Championship Game | #1 Georgetown | L 75–84 | |
| 1987 | First Round | #5 Kansas | L 55–66 |
| 1990 | First Round | #9 UC Santa Barbara | L 66–70 |
| 1992 | First Round | #7 Georgia Tech | L 60–65 |
| 2010 | First Round | #4 Maryland | L 77–89 |
| 2018 | First Round | #11 San Diego State | W 67–65 |
| Second Round | #3 Michigan | L 63–64 | |
| 2019 | First Round | #14 Georgia State | W 84–55 |
| Second Round | #11 Ohio State | W 74–59 | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #2 Kentucky | L 58–62 | |
| 2021 | First Round | #15 Cleveland State | W 87–56 |
| Second Round | #10 Rutgers | W 63–60 | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #11 Syracuse | W 62–46 | |
| Elite Eight | #12 Oregon State | W 67–61 | |
| Final Four | #1 Baylor | L 59–78 | |
| 2022 | First Round | #12 UAB | W 82–68 |
| Second Round | #4 Illinois | W 68–53 | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #1 Arizona | W 72–60 | |
| Elite Eight | #2 Villanova | L 44–50 | |
| 2023 | First Round | #16 Northern Kentucky | W 63–52 |
| Second Round | #9 Auburn | W 81–64 | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #5 Miami (FL) | L 75–89 | |
| 2024 | First Round | #16 Longwood | W 86–46 |
| Second Round | #9 Texas A&M | W 100–95 OT | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #4 Duke | L 51–54 | |
| 2025 | First Round | #16 SIU Edwardsville | W 78–40 |
| Second Round | #8 Gonzaga | W 81–76 | |
| Sweet Sixteen | #4 Purdue | W 62–60 | |
| Elite Eight | #2 Tennessee | W 69–50 | |
| Final Four | #1 Duke | TBD |
Read More: Houston Cougars Basketball Coach
Houston Cougars NCAA Tournament seeding history
| Year | Seed |
|---|---|
| 1956 | - |
| 1961 | - |
| 1965 | - |
| 1966 | - |
| 1967 | - |
| 1968 | - |
| 1970 | - |
| 1971 | - |
| 1972 | - |
| 1973 | - |
| 1978 | 4Q |
| 1981 | 8 |
| 1982 | 6 |
| 1983 | 1 |
| 1984 | 2 |
| 1987 | 12 |
| 1990 | 8 |
| 1992 | 10 |
| 2010 | 13 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Houston Cougars Runners-up
Houston Cougars qualified for the NCAA championship final twice and finished the tournament as the runners-up twice, in 1983 and 1984.
| Year | Final Four Opponent | Result | National Championship Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Louisville | W 94–81 | NC State | L 52–54 |
| 1984 | Virginia | W 49–47 OT | Georgetown | L 75–84 |
Houston Cougars Final Four Appearances
Houston Cougars appeared in the Final Four rounds seven times, in 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2021 and 2025.
| Year | Final Four Opponent | Result | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | UCLA | L 58–73 | W 84–62 |
| 1968 | UCLA | L 69–101 | L 85–89 |
| 1982 | North Carolina | L 63–68 | - |
| 1983 | Louisville | W 94–81 | L 52–54 |
| 1984 | Virginia | W 49–47 OT | L 75–84 |
| 2021 | Baylor | L 59–78 | - |
| 2025 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Read More: Houston Cougars Basketball
FAQs on Houston Cougars
A. The Houston Cougars basketball team was founded in the 1945–46 season.
A. The head coach of the Houston Cougars is Kelvin Sampson, who is currently in his 11th season.
A. The Houston Cougars compete in the Big 12 Conference.
A. The Houston Cougars play their home games at the Fertitta Center, which has a seating capacity of 7,100.
A. The official colors of the Houston Cougars are scarlet and white.
