Senior guard Milos Uzan has experienced plenty in just his second year with Houston men’s basketball.
A slow start to the 2024-25 season, as he acclimated playing alongside a new cast of teammates, to becoming their go-to scorer in Big 12 road battles as one of the nation’s most efficient point guards.
He’s been through an NCAA Tournament run that saw him become the late-second hero in Houston’s Sweet 16 win over Purdue. It was part of a run that went all the way to the national title game, which came down to the final possession.
He’s seen his role shift, from the primary point guard to sharing the position with freshman guard Kingston Flemings, whose play has catapulted him into numerous top-five NBA draft projections.
Through it all, Uzan has remained just what UH needs: steady.
“Milos is Milos. That’s his game,” Sampson said. “You appreciate him more when other guys have bad games. He never has bad games.”
Uzan’s contributions were recognized in Saturday’s 78-64 win over Kansas State, where No. 3 Houston won in spite of uncharacteristic play.
Redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp tallied a team-leading 23 points on 6-14 shooting. However, he turned the ball over four times and fouled out in the second half.
As a team, Houston recorded a season-high 15 turnovers.
Despite two turnovers himself, graduate forward Kalifa Sakho chipped in six points, six rebounds and two blocks. The performance came just days after the death of his grandfather.
“I was very proud of him,” Sampson said. “He’s had a tough week.”
Sampson added that Sakho needed that performance, and so did Houston.
Flemings finished with four turnovers, matching Sharp’s total, and shot 2-for-13. It’s no surprise to Sampson, who sets a frequent reminder that all freshmen are liable to off nights.
Sampson acknowledges Flemings’ nights where he’s played like a “top 10 pick” as equally as those where he played like what he is: a freshman.
“But Milos doesn’t have those nights. He’s not a top 10 pick. He’s steady. There’s a spot in the NBA for guys like Milos,” Sampson said. “That’s what I’ll be telling people when the season is over.”
Uzan finished with eight assists and zero turnovers, providing the ball security he’s been praised for on a day when it was needed more than usual.
Sampson telling NBA scouts what Uzan can offer is still months away. For now, he and Houston are focused on the closing stretch of the conference slate. The next three games are all against top-10 opponents, beginning with No. 5 Iowa State on Monday.
“I won’t spend one minute tonight worried about this game,” Sampson said. “Not one minute.”
After No. 1 Arizona dropped its second consecutive game, this time 78-75 to No. 16 Texas Tech, Houston saw itself atop the Big 12 conference standings with its 11-1 mark.
A major reason has been its continued success at home.
Fertitta Center has been a house of horrors for Big 12 opponents, with UH yielding a 24-1 mark since joining the conference in 2023.
At the same time, Iowa State and No. 9 Kansas have also been dreaded at home. Both are undefeated at their respective venues this season. Just two games separate the top five teams in the conference, with three weeks until the conclusion of the Big 12 regular season.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the home teams to hold serve if you want to win the league,” Sampson said.
Before Houston can hold serve again, it will have to apply its road pressure at Hilton Coliseum on Monday in Ames, IA, at 8 p.m. for the first of two consecutive ESPN Big Monday games.
Author
Discover more from Cougar Sports
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.