Signal Calling: Joseph Tugler is college basketball's most important player
The reigning runner-up's starting center is an oddball fit in the league, but undeniably one of the most important, if not the most important, players in the country.
Houston was a juggernaut last year. They outscored their opponents by over 10 points per 100 possessions, with a top 100 offense and a top 75 defense … with Joseph Tugler off the court. Add the 6-foot-8 sophomore to any given lineup, and the Cougars held a 36.8 net rating, holding what would be the eighth-ranked offense (125.6 ORTG) and the second-ranked defense (88.9 DRTG).
He isn’t the most skilled, and his size for what he brings to the table draws questions about what he may or may not do at the next level, but Tugler, with Houston, is the most important player in college basketball.
Tugler, while on the shorter side for a big man, packs one of the more freakish wingspans in basketball, at all levels. From fingertip to fingertip, Tugler measures 7 feet, 6 inches, giving him a wingspan 10 inches longer than he is tall. That marker would be the second-longest in NBA history, less than an inch behind Talen Horton-Tucker (6’2.5”/7’1.25”) and Mo Bamba (6’11.25”/7’10”), each with a 10.75-inch differential.
Tugler has unlocked the ability to use his absurd arms to their full potential, too. In 2024-25, his combined steal and block rate of 15.3%, known on CBBAnalytics.com as “Hakeem Percentage,” graded out in the 99th percentile nationally. His defensive box plus-minus of 6.7, per BartTorvik.com, ranked first nationally, largely because of those Mr. Fantastic-esque limbs.
Look at the hands of Tugler here. As Kon Knueppel catches on the Iverson cut, he’s shading him on the wing. Should Knueppel drive, he’s there to smother him. Instead, it flips to Cooper Flagg under the rim, and Tugler’s quick to jump in the way, high-pointing the shot and swatting it. The effort doesn’t end there, though, as Tugler keeps Khaman Maluach, one of the nation’s best offensive rebounders, from getting his hands securely on the ball not once but twice.
In a roundabout way, Tugler’s shorter stature makes him a more versatile defender in the pick-and-roll than just about every other center in college basketball.
Having a lower center of gravity, combined with his freakish arms, makes his stunts on ball-handlers uniquely dangerous. Typically meant to deter before jumping back to the roll man, Tugler can strip the ball without actually jumping past the level of the screen, as he does below.
The absurdity of Tugler’s defense is hard to capture. Almost singlehandedly, winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore campaign, Tugler launched Houston into contention with his play.
As it stands, Tugler’s a one-way player with no jump shot, lacking processing, and any offensive bag outside of rebounding. His 54.3% true shooting and 0.97 assist-to-turnover ratio help paint that picture. However, he’s just so good at that other end that he can be in conversation for college basketball’s most important player without adding similar value on offense.
There is room for Tugler to grow, however. All things considered, he didn’t create many issues for a Houston offense with many dynamic pieces, and that should be similar this year. The Cougars have brought back immense talent like Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp, while bringing in talented freshmen in Chris Cenac and Isaiah Harwell.
Tugler’s primary skill is his ability to finish above the rim. His arms and athleticism allow him to be an absurd lob threat at his height, helping to circumvent shortcomings in touch. Tugler shot just 10-of-29 (34.5%) on half-court layups, more than doubling his makes with the number of half-court dunks he had, 22.
Developing his touch around the rim, and a floater from 10-feet-and-in, if possible, would be the next step for Tugler. With his pterodactyl arms, he’s close enough to the rim on his tiptoes to be much better at the rim. Knocking down just 53.9% of his free throws last season, and going 3-of-11 on threes, there’s work to be done.
Tugler will probably never shoot it, but if he can do something more than rebound and dunk, growing a skill set worth a 20 percent usage, he could be one of college basketball’s best, flat out.
Houston is going to contend again in 2025-26, that’s undeniable. It’s for a variety of reasons, too. The Cougars returned a ton of talent from their runner-up squad, added an incredible freshman class, and Kelvin Sampson is also just a great coach.
However, for my money, no piece on Houston, much less in college basketball as a whole, is as important to their team’s success as Joseph Tugler.