Things to Know About Purdue's Sweet 16 Opponent: Houston

Purdue will play Houston in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Here are a few things to know about the top-seeded Cougars ahead of this weekend's matchup.

Dustin Schutte | Mar 24, 2025

Houston Cougars looks on during the second half of their game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue is headed back to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in eight years after a strong showing in Providence. The fourth-seeded Boilers posted wins over High Point and McNeese in the first two rounds to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Now, they'll have a date with top-seeded Houston in Indianapolis.

The Cougars are one of the college basketball's top teams and have been an elite program for years under coach Kelvin Sampson. It's going to be a challenge for Matt Painter's team on Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium (10:09 p.m. ET, truTV/TBS).

Here are a few things to know about Houston ahead of Friday's matchup.

Coached by a legend

Sampson is a Hall of Fame coach who has found success at every stop. He got his start at Montana Tech in 1981, where he coached for four seasons. He then moved on to Washington State in 1987, spending seven years and posted a 103-103 record, with one NIT appearance and one NCAA Tournament berth.

Sampson's career really took off when he was named coach at Oklahoma, where he won 280 games and took his teams to 11 NCAA Tournaments. The Sooners reached the Final Four in 2002 and the Elite Eight in 2003. After his time in Norman, he then had a two-year stop at Indiana.

Since his arrival at Houston, the Cougars have had one of the country's best programs. Houston has hit the 30-win mark five times in the last six seasons. Overall, Sampson has compiled 795 wins and won numerous conference titles and NCAA Tournament games throughout his career.

Best defensive team in the country

Houston prides itself on the defensive end of the court. The Cougars are widely regarded as the best defensive team in the country, and the numbers back it up. This is a team that ranks No. 1 nationally in points allowed per game, with opponents averaging 58.4 points per contest.

Additionally, Houston's opponents shoot the ball at a 38.39% clip for the season, a mark that ranks fifth. Sampson's team isn't one that is going to force a ton of turnovers, but the Cougars will make it hard to get open looks.

Smart with the basketball

Not many teams are as smart with the basketball as Houston. The Cougars averaged just 9.2 turnovers per game this season, a figure that ranks sixth nationally. That efficiency keeps opponents out of transition and, even on missed shots, allows them to get their defense set.

Elite three-point shooters

Houston may pride itself on the defensive side, but it also has three high-quality shooters that can knock down the three-point shot at a high clip. LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan are all shooting the ball better than 42% from distance this season.

It's not like those three have taken a handful of shots from deep, either. All three have attempted at least 126 three-pointers for the year and are still connecting at an impressive mark. Uzan has the best percentage at 43.7% on season, Cryer is shooting it at a 42.8% rate and Sharp has a 42.3% success rate from distance. It makes the Cougars incredibly difficult to defend.

Joseph Tugler among top shot blockers

Remember that elite defense mentioned earlier? Joseph Tugler is a big part of that success, as he's been a tremendous shot blocker for the Cougars this season. The 6-foot-8 sophomore averages 2.0 blocks per game, a number that ranks 24th in the NCAA.

As a team, Houston blocks 4.6 shots per game, which ranks 32nd. It's made scoring in the painted area difficult for teams this season.

Everyone rebounds

Over the course of his career, Sampson has become famous for his rebounding drills and the ferocity his teams use to attack the glass. That's no different with this year's Houston squad. The Cougars have six different players averaging at least 3.0 rebounds per game, led by J'Wan Roberts at 6.3 boards per game.

Surprise, surprise, Houston ranks in the top-40 in rebounding margin this season, collecting 5.3 more rebounds than its opponents on a per-game basis.