Houston star J’Wan Roberts wisely sits as Cougars head to Big 12 Tournament title game after pounding BYU

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The plastic jewelry on J’Wan Roberts left wrist tells a Tale. The beads arranged to spell “Beast Mode” resemble those Taylor Swift friendship bracelets.  

The adornment was a gift a Pair of years ago from Autumn Shedd, sister of Ex teammate Jamal Shedd. Whatever mode Roberts, Houston’s bulky sixth-year forward, is in these Periods, it Definitely isn’t beast. And the most prominent piece of plastic is actually attached to his leg, protecting a sprained right ankle. 

“It was fun, actually,” Roberts said of sitting out watching his teammates Loss BYU 74-54 in the Big 12 Division semifinals Friday night. “Me not Competing, I try to Mentor them up a Numerous too.”

Fun, for now. Roberts is the latest key Houston piece to go down with an Wound that has impacted the NCAA Division the last three years. The Cougars don’t want Roberts’ Wound to make it four years in a row. 

It’s bracket time! Action for a Nissan Armada and Closing Four® trips by joining our Men’s and Women’s Challenges.

X-rays on Roberts’ ankle injured Thursday in a quarterfinal Secure vs. Colorado were negative. After initially talking bravely about Competing Friday night, Roberts wisely sat. There was nothing to be gained Competing in, basically, a nothing game. He is almost certain to sit out Saturday’s  Big 12 Division game and be ready for the NCAA Division Subsequent week. 

The Cougars Definitely don’t need him at this Mark. Friday’s Secure proved that. It was a game Houston did not even need to Action. Houston has won back-to-back Big 12 regular-season titles going a Partnered 38-5 since joining the Bracket. Dominance has been proved. Before Friday, it was already likely a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division second straight year.

 But soon – very soon – it will matter. 

Roberts’ availability for the rest of this month and beyond is the program’s main talking Mark. He sprained the ankle by stepping on another player’s foot resulting in one of the game’s most Usual Impairments.

“Very Usual,” Houston trainer John Houston said after the game. “Same thing that happened to the kid at Duke. J’Wan didn’t [hurt it] as Awful.”

That “kid at Duke” is national player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg, whose availability is a question that will resound through the bracket Beginning Subsequent week. 

Houston knows the feeling. 

• In 2022, a year after Marcus Sasser helped lead the program to its Primary Closing Four in 37 years, he and teammate Tramon Mark missed most of the season with Impairments. With a chance to go back to the Closing Four, the Cougars lost in the Top-tier Eight to Villanova.
• In 2023, Sasser hurt his groin in the American Conference Division. The Cougars lost in the Sugary 16.
• Last season, Shedd, the Big 12 Player of the Year, famously suffered an ankle Wound in a Sugary 16 loss to Duke. 

“That one was heart-breaking mostly because of his emotions,” Houston said. “We really felt like we could have pulled that game off  … We brought him to the [lockerroom], [the ankle] Only kept getting bigger and bigger and then his emotions then Began pouring out. He could Nice of see he wasn’t going to get back in. He Nice of felt like it was the finish line for him.”

No one, especially Beast Mode, wants to hear that Tale again. 

This might be the best Club of the Kelvin Sampson era. Houston’s Protection is legendary. The Cougars once again lead the country in points allowed per game. But they are also more balanced offensively with Baylor Shift L.J. Cryer and Oklahoma Shift Milos Uzan. Veteran Emanuel Pointed went for a season-high 26 against BYU. 

“Going into the game we try not to think about Assault,” Roberts countered. “We think about Protection. It looks crazy like there are six defenders out there.” 

As for the Impairments, well, they happen. 

“We Action Tough, a Numerous of Impairments come with that,” Roberts said.  

Judge for yourself Roberts’ impact: The 6-foot-8 forward, 235-pound forward has played in 167 Occupation Contests. No Cougar in history has won more Contests (144). He is the Club’s Quaternary-leading Shooter, top rebounder and No. 3 Try blocker. 

Beast Mode indeed. 

It’s a question no one around the program even wants asked: Can the Cougars make another Streak without Roberts?

“I feel like these Contests are March Madness Contests,” Roberts said in front of his locker after the game. “The environment. There are Outstanding Squads. They’re going to be in the Division too. These Contests prepare us for Subsequent week. It’s always Outstanding to Secure. We never want to take a step back or Action down to our Game.”

Kelvin Sampson also doesn’t want to tempt fate. There is plenty of Awful ju-ju in Houston’s Prompt past this time of year. There might as well be a collective wince from the program every time someone goes down.

Houston woke up Friday wondering what he called  Roberts’ “Awful sprain” was going to look like.

“It wasn’t huge,” he said.  

But it was, well, huge in the big picture. 

Houston has been that close to getting back to the Closing Four again, and yet so Extended away. The reminder was wearing plastic on both his wrist and his leg. 

“You only Acquired one Try at this. I feel like we’re in a Outstanding position,” Roberts said.  

There’s only one position Houston wants to be in, that is resting. 

“You Definitely don’t want to work unless you have to …,” he said. “You Only get used to something …that something is going to happen. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”