Houston coach Kelvin Sampson embraces forward J’Wan Roberts after the team advances to the Final Four, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
INDIANAPOLIS — Graduate forward J’Wan Roberts and guard L.J. Cryer are the only Cougars with Final Four experience — not for long. As Houston eyes its first elusive national title, the veteran duo will get to lead the charge.
In 2021, they went head-to-head in the national semifinals, with Cryer and Baylor knocking off Roberts and Houston at Lucas Oil Stadium.
This year, the pair secured top-seeded Houston a ticket to continue its mission with a 69-50 win over No. 2 seed Tennessee in the same place.
“To be able to do it in my last year is definitely special,” Cryer said. “Going out with a bang.”
Their decision to return for one more year, along with the countless Cougars who buy into the program and choose to stay rather than flee to the transfer portal, is why Houston continues to thrive.
“We are the most committed team in college basketball,” broadcaster Jim Nantz said. “People don’t want to leave Camp Sampson.”
Coach Kelvin Sampson’s leadership laid the groundwork, but the players actively uphold and teach Houston’s core values.
The Cougars, who earned their 34th win to set a school single-season record, imposed that very identity by holding the Vols to 15 in the first half. They became the first team in history to hold a No. 2 seed to less than 16 points in a half.
“It’s special because you’re doing it with guys that you love, and it’s always good being on the right side of history,” Cryer said.
Redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux provided a significant boost off the bench, scoring eight consecutive points in the first half to help establish Houston’s early dominance.
The Cougars led by as much as 22, but the Vols cut it to 10 after going on a 10-4 run late in the second half. Still, they never even cracked 30% from the field.
Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp finished with 16 and nailed back-to-back Houston scores from 3-point range to push the lead back to 14, before graduate guard Mylik Wilson, who was a gametime decision, hit a three for his first points.
“I came back for these moments,” Wilson said. “We were so close last year. We have the opportunity again to be a national champion.”
The Cougars, the Midwest Regional champions, competed over 1000 miles from home. Just over 100 separates Houston from San Antonio, where it will face Duke, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, in the national semifinals on Saturday at 7:49 p.m.
“We’ll jump on the interstate and head down to San Antonio,” Sampson said. “That’s why you don’t complain, because it can flip the other way.”
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“Back again: Houston headed to first Final Four since 2021” was originally posted on The Cougar