Houston guard L.J. Cryer is looking to make NCAA history.
The fifth-year senior and 2021 NCAA tournament champion with Baylor is two wins away from becoming the first-ever player in men’s Division I college basketball to win an NCAA title with two different programs.
Houston’s L.J. Cryer Looking To Become First Player in NCAA History to National Championships at Two Programs
Cryer, who was a freshman for the Bears’ 2021 NCAA tournament run, has become a much larger part of this year’s Houston team, contributing 15.4 points per game, most on the team, and adding 2.3 rebounds and two assists per game.
Cryer transferred to the Cougars following his junior year at Baylor and had career highs in points and rebounds in 2023-24 with 15.5 and 2.4, respectively.
Houston’s L.J. Cryer is looking to do what has never been done in the history of men’s D-I college basketball 😳
After winning the NCAA championship in 2021 with Baylor, Cryer is now two games away from hoisting his second NCAA title 👀 pic.twitter.com/K1GcKVCOg1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2025
The Bears made the NCAA tournament all three years with Cryer on the squad. The 2020-21 championship team went 28-2, finishing atop the Big 12, before losing to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament semifinal.
They went on to defeat four AP poll-ranked teams, including three top-ten teams—No. 2 seed Houston in the Final Four among them—on their way to defeating No. 1 Gonzaga in the national championship.
The 2021-22 Bears worked their way up to No. 1 in the polls, starting the season 15-0. They would finish tied first in the Big 12 with Kansas, losing in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinal to Oklahoma. They were awarded a No. 1 seed but lost to No. 8 North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Cryer did not play in either tournament.
Cryer started for the 2022-23 Baylor team, helping lead them to a tied-third-place finish in the Big 12 and a quarterfinal loss to Iowa State. The team was awarded a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, losing in the second round to No. 6 Creighton.
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In his first year at Houston, the Cougars finished the season atop the Big 12, losing in the Big 12 tournament final to Iowa State. They were awarded a No. 1 seed, but lost to No. 4 seed Duke in the Sweet 16, Cryer scored 15 points on 50% shooting.
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