Houston entered its CBI semifinal game at Tulsa with a 1-9 record when trailing with five minutes left in the game. Make it 1-10 for the Cougars, who saw their enigmatic 2007-08 season end with a 73-69 loss to the Golden Hurricane on March 26.

"They were just defending us well and we just missed our shots at the end," senior guard Robert McKiver said. "The ball didn't bounce our way on the last couple of plays. We played our hearts out and we have nothing to be ashamed of. The coaches did a great job and we just couldn't get it done tonight."

The Cougars didn't get it done in most of their biggest games of the season and fell short of their goal of pushing Memphis for the Conference USA title and reaching the NCAA Tournament.

In its third season under coach Tom Penders, Houston did finish 24-10 for its highest win total since 1992, the last time the program reached the NCAA Tournament. It also finished 11-5 and in third place in C-USA.

Still, the Cougars failed to take advantage of opportunities, suffering nine of their 10 losses to postseason-bound opponents: VCU, Arizona, UMass, Memphis, UAB and UTEP. Even then they still appeared to be on the NCAA Tournament radar when they sustained their worst loss of the season, 84-83 on the road against an East Carolina team that finished 11-19.

Now the Cougars must move on without McKiver, who finished second in the conference with 23.6 points per game. He scored 30 points in his final game against Tulsa but he made only 9 of 27 shots and 6 of 18 3-pointers, often dominating the offense at the expense of his team but sometimes being the only player able to keep the Cougars in games.

The Cougars will also lose forward Dion Dowell, who was just as capable of producing a double-double as he was disappearing from games, as well as two replaceable role players in center Tafari Toney and guard Marcus Malone. The tragic loss will be the departure of point guard Lanny Smith, an all-conference player as a sophomore who never fully recovered from two foot surgeries.

The Cougars turn to a mix of talented players who have been somewhat erratic. Sophomore guard Kelvin Lewis is an excellent defender but inconsistent on the offensive end. Players such as sophomore center Marcus Cousin, junior guard DaShaun Williams, freshman guards Zamal Nixon and Brockeith Pane and freshman forward Horace McGloster showed positive signs at various points in the season but still have a lot to prove as full-time players.

The Cougars will need immediate help from New Jersey prep standout guard Desmond Wade and three juco big men - Aubrey Coleman, Sean Coleman and Horace Dixon -- who have to give Houston the inside play it has been lacking for the past three seasons under Penders. The Cougars also have a shot at Qa'rraan Calhoun, a 6-8 forward who started 10 games as a freshman at St. John's and spent this past season at Barton County (Kan.) Community College.

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