The Houston Cougars grabbed a massive Big 12 win on Saturday following their 77-66 win against BYU, and it vaulted them all the way to the No. 3 spot in the latest AP men’s basketball poll. With the win, Houston improved to 21-2 overall, and 9-1 in Big 12 play. The Cougars have now won four consecutive games since their last loss back on Jan. 24 against Texas Tech.
Last week’s AP men’s basketball poll had Houston at No. 8, shooting them up five spots after defeating BYU. On the BYU side of things, the Cougars fell to No. 22 after the loss, a drop from the No. 16 spot they held last week.
Houston is coming off a season in which they reached the national championship game before falling to Florida. This is Kelvin Sampson’s 12th season at the helm as head coach. He oversaw the program during its move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 in 2023. During his tenure, he’s compiled and overall record of 320-86. He’s led Houston to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including six Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and one national championship appearance.
This season, Houston has been powered by the arrival of a pair of star freshmen in Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. Against BYU, they both led the way in scoring with 19 points and 16 points respectively. They’ve blended with solid returning leadership in Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp.
The Cougars next game is Tuesday, Feb. 10 against the Utah Utes. Presently, Houston is No. 2 in the Big 12 standings behind only 10-0 Arizona. Iowa State and Kansas are right behind them, however, at 8-2 apiece.
