Houston's Kelvin Sampson Gets Major Roster News After Season
As the men's NCAA Tournament moved along into its later rounds, the Houston Cougars seemed to be the little engine that could, especially after they upset Duke, a team many picked to win the national championship, in the Final Four.
But with all the marbles at stake, Houston fell apart against Florida and blew a late lead on the way to a crushing 65-63 loss.
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson.Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Houston recently got some bad news when guard Damian Dunn left to join Pittsburgh, but on Wednesday, it found out one of its major frontcourt players will be staying put.
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Joseph Tugler, one of Houston's defensive stalwarts, will be returning to the Cougars for the 2025-26 season, and that is good news for the program and head coach Kelvin Sampson.
Tugler averaged 5.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.0 steals in 21.7 minutes a game this past season. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and the 6-foot-8 forward also took home the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award, which is given annually to the best defender in Division I college basketball.
He's a classic hard-hat player who is strong at 230 pounds, and his 7-foot-6 wingspan causes havoc for opposing teams in the paint.
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In that Final Four contest against the Duke Blue Devils, Tugler had eight rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes. In the second round of the tournament, he logged 10 points, 11 boards and two rejections against Gonzaga.
Related: Conference Player of the Year Transfers to Big Ten Powerhouse
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