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Houston Men's Basketball Tabbed as Big 12 Conference Preseason Favorite
Guard Emanuel Sharp, guard Milos Uzan, forward Joseph Tugler named to Preseason All-Big 12 Team
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POSTED: October 16, 2025 -- 5:35 p.m. CT
For the first time in school history, the Houston Cougars 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 Coogs 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 JoJo Tugler were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team with Uzan being a unanimous selection on the coaches' ballots.
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.
Sharp 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 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.
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, Uzan finished third in the league and ranked 11th 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 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 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team.
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.
Tugler 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.
2025-26 Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank |
Team (First-place votes) |
Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Houston (14) | 224 |
| 2. | BYU (1) | 204 |
| 3. | Texas Tech | 200 |
| 4. | Arizona (1) | 179 |
| 5. | Iowa State | 170 |
| 6. | Kansas | 163 |
| 7. | Baylor | 137 |
| 8. | Cincinnati | 120 |
| 9. | Kansas State | 117 |
| 10. | TCU | 90 |
| 11. | West Virginia | 79 |
| 12. | Oklahoma State | 77 |
| 13. | Utah | 50 |
| 14. | UCF | 39 |
| 15. | Colorado | 37 |
| 16. | Arizona State | 34 |
2025-26 Preseason Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
2025-26 Preseason Newcomer of the Year: LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
2025-26 Preseason Freshman of the Year: Darryn Peterson, Kansas
2025-26 Preseason All-Big 12 Team
AJ Dybantsa, BYU*
Richie Saunders, BYU
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Milos Uzan, Houston*
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Darryn Peterson, Kansas*
P.J. Haggerty, K-State
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
* - unanimous selection
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