The Cougars were led by fifth-year head coach Kelvin Sampson as members of the American Athletic Conference.

Beginning December 1, 2018, they played their home games at Fertitta Center, which reopened after a $60 million upgrade.

The Cougars played their first four non-conference home games at H&PE Arena while construction on Fertitta Center was completed.

The Cougars earned the #3 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, where they went 2–1, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen before falling 62–58 to Kentucky.

3 seed in the AAC tournament, they defeated UCF and Wichita State before losing to Cincinnati in the championship game.