Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars secured a No. 3 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season with a 28-6 overall record and 14-4 in Big 12 play. After taking down the No. 15 seed Idaho Vandals in the first round and the No. 10 seed Texas A&M Aggies in the Round of 32, Houston saw its season end in the Sweet 16, falling to the No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini 65-55.
The Cougars were led by freshman guard Kingston Flemings during the 2025-26 college basketball season. Earning a consensus second-team All-American nod, Flemings averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, leading Houston in each category. But now, Sampson will be looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, but he will be without one of his role players.
Robert Deutsch
Isiah Harwell, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard out of Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah), was a five-star prospect in the class of 2025 (247Sports Composite). He ranked as the No. 13 overall player in his class, along with the No. 4 shooting guard and the No. 2 prospect from the state of Utah.
Harwell played a significant role off the bench for Sampson and the Cougars during the 2025-26 season. In 32 appearances, including two in the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 3.6 points on 27.9% shooting, 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.6 steals in 13.8 minutes per game.
But following Houston's loss in the NCAA Tournament, Harwell has revealed his plans to enter the college basketball transfer portal, leaving Sampson and Houston without key guard depth going into next season.
"NEW: Houston guard Isiah Harwell plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @JoeTipton reports," On3's Transfer Portal wrote on X. "Harwell was a 5-star in the 2025 class."
While the Cougars may be losing a guard to the transfer portal, they could have his replacement already in combo guard Ikenna Alozie, a four-star prospect in the class of 2026 (247Sports).
