Joseph Tugler - College Basketball News & Rumors

Likely no limitations before season Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said Tuesday that he does not expect Tugler (foot) to have any limitations going into UH's season opener, per Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine.

Impact Considering that Tugler's last update was that he was not participating in any drills or scrimmaging, his latest development is significant progress. Houston's team will log at least one exhibition before beginning regular-season action in November. Ideally for the Cougars, they can acclimate Tugler into game action before their regular season so that they can focus on replicating their 2024-25 success without any problems.

OCTOBER 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Not in drills or scrimmages Tugler (foot) is not participating in any drills or scrimmaging, according to Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine.

Impact Even though Tugler may be fully cleared, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, almost a week has passed since that last update, and the forward's lack of progress suggests that there is still work to be done on his part. Ideally, his injury status will be cleared up during Houston's preseason, which features an exhibition game on Oct. 26 against Mississippi State in Rosenberg, Texas.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Houston Cougars' Joseph Tugler Receives Major Injury Update After coming so agonizingly close to winning it all last season, the Houston Cougars remain one of the favorites heading into the 2025-26 ca...

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 • SI.COM

Fully cleared for Houston Tugler (foot) is fully cleared for basketball-related activities, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Impact Tugler spent the entire summer recovering from foot surgery, a procedure that pushed his return date back from multiple months to multiple occasions. He entered September expecting to be cleared, and though it still took longer than expected, his availability for fall workouts is good. Now, Houston's team gets the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year healthy, and he also comes as a statistically sound player with 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game last season.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Expected to be cleared in 10 days Tugler (foot) is expected to be fully cleared for basketball-related activities in 10 days, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Impact Tugler was fully expected to be fully cleared in August, but his latest update indicates that is not the case. At the very least, it looks like he will be cleared before October, when the Houston team and many others are expected to begin their preseason sessions. Coming off 5.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks this past season, Tugler offers a lot of upside going into his junior season.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Full clearance expected in August Tugler (foot) is expected to be fully cleared for basketball-related activities during August, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Impact Even though Tugler sat out Houston's summer workouts, the season may finish with his availability intact. The development would allow him to build off his 2024-25 season, where the big man's 33 starts include 5.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

AUGUST 5, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Out for summer Tugler (foot) is out for summer workouts, according to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.

Impact In April, Tugler's right foot underwent surgery, which is why he will sit out Houston's summer workouts. For the Cougars, they plan to have him fully available by fall workouts, just before their 2025-26 season. Whether or not Tugler will be ready by then remains to be seen.

JUNE 2, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

On a team of unsung heroes, Joseph Tugler stands out as Houston nears March Madness title If one player embodies the spirit of Houston's basketball program that is one win from a national title, it may be this unsung hero of the C...

APRIL 7, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

Houston's LJ Cryer falls short in bid to win NCAA titles at 2 schools in finale vs. Florida

Houston's LJ Cryer fell short in his bid to become the first player to win the NCAA college basketball title at two schools

APRIL 7, 2025 • Associated Press

Condon and Gators are tall and long but ready for a physical matchup with Houston in the NCAA final

Florida’s Alex Condon has already been through the physical battle with Auburn’s Johni Broome and came out the other side battered but victorious

APRIL 6, 2025 • Associated Press

Electric defensively Tugler accumulated four points (2-4 FG), eight rebounds, two assists, four blocks and one steal in 26 minutes during Saturday's 70-67 victory over Duke.

Impact Tugler went down hard on his ankle early in the first half in this one, but he was able to eventually return to the contest and help the Cougars to a strong finish, likely erasing any doubt about his availability for Monday's title game. While Tugler's numbers don't always jump out of the box score, he's active on the glass and offers stellar contributions on the defensive end, making opposing players think twice about challenging him in the paint. Tugler will get a new challenge in Florida's deep and versatile frontcourt when he takes the court for the final time in 2025-25 on Monday.

APRIL 6, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Duke's push for 6th NCAA title falls apart in unlikely late collapse against Houston in Final Four

Duke's push for its sixth national championship ended abruptly and in unlikely fashion with the Blue Devils squandering a double-digit second-half lead

APRIL 6, 2025 • Associated Press

Joseph Tugler injury update: Houston F turns ankle, returns to game vs. Duke Houston's Joseph Tugler appeared to tweak his ankle against Duke on Saturday. Here's the latest injury update for the star defender:

APRIL 6, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

At Final Four, Houston slowing Duke's Cooper Flagg could come down to a stopper named Joseph Tugler

Pretty much every basketball fan has heard of Duke’s Cooper Flagg

APRIL 4, 2025 • Associated Press

Houston defense thrives on bringing out the ugly during latest March Madness run

The Houston Cougars like mixing it up — and turning things ugly

APRIL 1, 2025 • Associated Press

Flagg, Broome, Clayton are among the Final Four players to watch in a showdown between No. 1 seeds

Fittingly for an NCAA Tournament in which big schools from big conferences took record numbers of spots in the first week, then hogged them all for the second week, the Final Four...

MARCH 31, 2025 • Associated Press

Sets tone as Cougars advance Tugler finished with six points (3-7 FG), nine rebounds and two assists over 24 minutes during Sunday's 69-50 win over Tennessee.

Impact Tugler controlled the glass with a team-high nine boards during Houston's dominant victory over Tennessee. The sophomore forward opened the game with an offensive rebound and a put back that set the tone right away for the Cougars while also leading a dominant Houston defensive effort that allowed just 15 first-half points to the Vols. Up next for Tugler and the Cougars is a high-stakes rematch of last year's Sweet 16 against Duke in next week's Final Four.

MARCH 30, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Houston and Tennessee will match elite defenses in their bids to reach the Final Four

If you like defense, this NCAA Tournament Midwest Region final is for you

MARCH 29, 2025 • Associated Press

Milos Uzan's late bucket on inbound play sends Houston into Elite Eight with 62-60 win over Purdue

Milos Uzan soared for an uncontested layup on a beautifully executed inbound play with 0.9 seconds left, and No. 1 seed Houston survived a late collapse to beat fourth-seeded Purdu...

MARCH 29, 2025 • Associated Press

Texas Tech's JT Toppin selected by Big 12 coaches as league's top player and newcomer

Texas Tech sophomore forward JT Toppin has been selected by Big 12 coaches as the league’s player and newcomer of the year

MARCH 10, 2025 • Associated Press

Back in starting unit Tugler is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Baylor.

Impact Tugler didn't start in Senior Night, but he's back in the first unit in his regular role. He's averaging 5.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per contest this season while starting in 23 of 30 appearances.

MARCH 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Won't start on Senior Night Tugler won't get the start on Houston's senior night against Kansas, Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine reports.

Impact Tugler will come off the bench for the first time since Nov. 30. Ja'Vier Francis will get the start in his stead, as Houston will honor its seniors in its final home game of the 2024-2025 season. Still, expect Tugler to get into the game early and play a big role as per usual.

MARCH 3, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Doing the dirty work Tugler ended with six points (3-4 FG), eight rebounds, one assist and one block across 27 minutes during Monday's 76-65 victory over Baylor.

Impact Tugler hauled in eight boards to go along with six points, an assist and a block during Monday's win. Tugler, who took only four shots, is not relied upon to score all that often but has been highly valuable by doing the dirty work off the glass, recording at least seven boards for the sixth-consecutive game. The sophomore forward is second on the team, averaging 6.2 rebounds per contest while ranking first blocks, rejecting 2.2 shots per contest.

FEBRUARY 11, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Posts rare offensive output Tugler produced 12 points (5-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and one block in 28 minutes during Wednesday's 63-49 win over West Virginia.

Impact Tugler scored 12 points while adding seven boards as the Cougars cruised to victory over the Mountaineers. It was the second time during conference play Tugler has reached double-figures in the scoring column and just the third time he's topped five points during that same period despite starting all nine games. The sophomore forward is averaging 5.8 points, 5.1 boards and 2.3 blocks since the start of Big 12 play.

JANUARY 29, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

First career double-double Tugler provided 13 points (5-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-6 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks across 26 minutes during Saturday's 87-57 victory over Kansas State.

Impact Tugler crashed the glass for a career-high 10 boards en route to collecting his first career double-double. The sophomore forward added two blocks, marking the eighth-consecutive game he's recorded multiple rejections. Tugler took over the starting role from Ja'Vier Francis eight games ago and has maintained his grip thanks in large part to his defense. As a starter, Tugler is playing 19.9 minutes per contest, averaging 6.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

JANUARY 11, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

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