Houston's LJ Cryer, J'Wan Roberts named to college basketball player of the year watch list
The preseason honors continue to pour in for the Houston men's basketball team.
One week after being named by CBS Sports as two of the "Top 100 and 1" college basketball players in the country, LJ Cryer and J'Wan Roberts were included on arguably the most prestigious list - the Naismith Men's Basketball Player of the Year watch list.
A fifth-year senior guard for the Cougars, Cryer averaged 15.5 points last season and helped lead Houston to the Big 12 championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In Houston's 79-64 exhibition victory over Texas A&M on Sunday, Cryer had 18 points in 23 minutes.
Roberts, a fifth-year senior forward, averaged 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. He forms one of the best frontcourt tandems in the country alongside sophomore Joseph Tugler. They combined for 13 offensive rebounds in their exhibition win.
Ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, the Cougars return four starters, plus Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan. They also have a healthy Terrance Arceneaux back in the fold.
This is arguably Kelvin Sampson's most talented and experienced Houston team. The Cougars are one of the national championship betting favorites with 10-1 odds to win the title. The only team with better odds is Duke at 9.5-1.
The Cougars officially tip off their 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 at home against Jackson State.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.