Cougars left with more ‘what ifs’ after latest Sweet 16 exit

DALLAS — The question will likely linger in some of their minds, long after the buzzer had sounded Friday at the American Airlines Center.

What if Jamal Shead, Houston's best and most important player, hadn't gotten hurt early in the first half of their Sweet 16 game against Duke?

Would the Cougars have won? Would they be advancing to the Elite 8?

Before Shead got hurt, No. 1 seed Houston had a 16-10 lead over No. 4 seed Duke with about seven minutes left in the first half. It was a lot of time left. But the Cougars had controlled most of the game.

At that point, they had controlled the boards, played better defense and outhustled the Blue Devils.

Then the injury happened. Shead went down and stayed down.

And everything turned.

Duke ended the half on a 13-6 run, and though the Cougars kept it close and even had a chance to tie it late in the game on a Emanuel Sharp 3-point attempt, they never regained the lead.

Duke won 54-51.

“We were in a position to win the game without Jamal,” UH coach Kelvin Sampson said. “With Jamal, it's a totally different story, but that's neither here nor there, is it?”

If it felt like déjà vu, you're not alone. Houston had been in this position before in recent years.

During the 2023 tournament, the Cougars were title contenders, a No. 1 seed. But their best players, All-American Marcus Sasser and Shead, were both hobbled throughout the tournament with injuries. Sasser hurt his groin. And Shead tried to play through a knee injury.

They lost to the Miami Hurricanes in the Sweet 16

In 2022, the Cougars, then a No. 5 seed, were without Tramon Mark and Sasser, who both suffered injuries within days of each other in December. They made a run, but it ended in a loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight.

When Shead went down on Friday, it felt like the Cougars were missing a big chunk of their soul.

Shead was second on the team with 13.2 points per game. He led the team with 6.4 assists per game. He led them with 2.2 steals per game. He was their best onball defender. Their leader.

But his teammates played on. Sampson told them to believe. And the Cougars stayed in the game, keeping it within reach. They never trailed by more than six.

“At the moment, what was going through my mind was trying to win the game for him and for all the guys that were hurt,” junior forward Ja'Vier Francis said through tears, his eyes red.

However, their season is over, ending once again before they were able to reach the Final Four. There will be no more practices. No more film sessions. No more outings with teammates.

That hit Francis.

“It's over,” he said, struggling to get the words out.

After the game, Shead hugged each of his teammates and gave them some words of encouragement. They did the same for him.

But it still didn't take away the pain. The tight locker room belonging to the NHL's Dallas Stars was quiet save for the sound of sobs. Towels were over players' heads. Tears streamed down some of their faces.

A team manager tried to console some players.

“It sucks,” Shead said, his eyes watery. “You can say what if. ‘What if Terrance (Arceneaux) didn't get hurt? What if JoJo (Tugler) didn't get hurt?' You can always say what if.”

What if ?