Houston guard Kingston Flemmings (4) leaps for a dunk over Mississippi State guard Amier Ali (14) during the first half of The Preview exhibition, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Rosenberg, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston basketball checks in at No. 2 in the AP Poll to begin the season, and they are one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 61-52 on Sunday evening, and here are four takeaways from the exhibition game.
The freshman can ball
Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings is a spark plug, and he will be important to Houston’s success this season.
Flemmings made several explosive plays and ran the offense most of the game.
Freshman center Chris Cenac had a slow start to the game, but once he got going, he gave Houston fans a lot to be excited about.
He had several blocks and rebounds, and the 6-foot-11 big man punished the rim on several dunks throughout the game.
Freshman guard Isiah Harwell also got a lot of action. The big guard used his size advantage to pull down several rebounds throughout the game.
He also showed flashes of his shooting ability by draining a deep jumper in the second half.
Freshman guard Bryce Jackson did not see action in the exhibition, and he is expected to redshirt this season.
Defense is still strong, just rusty
Houston’s defense came out tough, forcing several turnovers throughout the game.
The Cougars were diving on the floor all night, and the bench would explode with excitement every time Houston showed that amount of effort on defense.
Junior forward Joseph Tugler and Cenac also were tough down low for Mississippi State as they disrupted shots and recorded several blocks.
There were a lot of good signs on defense, but Houston had several missed assignments, and there was a lot of confusion when it came to switching on pick-and-rolls.
Houston has shooters
The Cougars returned two talented shooters in senior guards Milos Uzan and Emmanuel Sharp, and Houston fans know what they are capable of.
To add to that, all of the freshmen can shoot the long ball as well.
Sophomore guard Mercy Miller took several good shots and drilled a catch-and-shoot jumper in the corner while being heavily guarded.
Redshirt freshman forward Chase McCarty, senior forward Ramon Walker and Cenac can all play down low and stretch out opposing defenders because they can shoot it well from beyond the arc.
Houston will need some time to get going
The Cougars brought in five new faces to the program and lost two leaders in former guard L.J. Cryer and former forward J’Wan Roberts.
It will take some time for the team chemistry to get back to where it was, but last season proved that it just takes time.
After Houston stumbled to a 4-3 start last year, many people counted them out and questioned how good the team could actually be.
That was until then, the team went 31-1 through the rest of their schedule and made it to the championship game for the first time since 1984.
The bottom line is, there will be growing pains, but Houston’s culture runs deep and the team will be right back to where they left off last season once they get some games under their belt.
sports@thedailycougar.com
