When answering a question about working one of his freshmen into the fold, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson got sidetracked as he made a request to the assembled media.

"I want everybody to stop comparing this team to last year's team. This team will never be as good as that team -- most teams won't," Sampson said of the Cougars squad that reached the national title game, losing to Florida. "... I want this team to be as good as it can be. Not as good as this team or that team; that's kinda silly."

Indeed, No. 7 Houston bears little resemblance to the 2024-25 squad that won 35 games, with only Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler as the key returning pieces. Sampson's new roster has been powered by first-year players, and he'll continue to build their games and confidence when the Cou

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