No. 10 Houston will look to rebound from its first Big 12 loss of the season as it challenges TCU on Wednesday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
Houston (17-2, 5-1) fell 90-86 at then-No. 12 Texas Tech on Saturday despite Kingston Flemings’ 42-point performance as the Cougars had their 11-game winning streak snapped.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson also brushed off a question about officiating, pointing to the Red Raiders having a 21-11 advantage in offensive rebounds.
“I’m not going to sit here and (complain) about the referees when they kicked our a– the way they did on the offensive glass,” Sampson said. “So I’m not into that narrative. I don’t even care about the whistle right now. I care about getting our guys better at the things that we can get better at.”
Despite the setback, Houston has allowed an average of just 61.6 points per game.
The Cougars also have multiple scoring threats, with three players averaging in double figures. Flemings leads the team at 17.0 points per game, followed by Emanuel Sharp (16.1) and Milos Uzan (11.3).
Houston hit the century mark this season for the first time in the previous game, routing Arizona State 103-73 on Jan. 18. The Cougars also enjoyed comfortable victories over West Virginia and Baylor earlier this month.
“Kingston happened to be scoring, and (Texas Tech’s JT) Toppin happened to be scoring, but we’ve got enough guys that if Kingston wasn’t shooting, somebody else can score. We’ve got a bunch of guys that can score,” Sampson said.
“The game came down to one area, and that’s where they were really good. When they shot and missed the ball, they scored 22 points off their misses. That’s an area that, whatever you think of our program, that’s a big reason why we’ve been so successful.”
TCU (13-7, 3-4), which completed a regular-season sweep of Baylor on Saturday, is looking another signature victory. The Horned Frogs have gone 1-4 against ranked teams this season, with their lone victory over then-No. 10 Florida on Nov. 27.
The big question for TCU is the availability of David Punch, who leads the team in scoring (14.6 points per game) and rebounds (7.8). Punch was sidelined in the Baylor game Saturday with an illness, with coach Jamie Dixon telling reporters that the entire squad had been battling some sickness.
“We were in scramble mode all day,” Dixon said.
Still, TCU prevailed 97-90 vs. Baylor. Jayden Pierre stepped up with a 25-point performance, including knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, and Xavier Edmonds added 23 points.
“We’re really excited about how we did it, what we did except for the rebounding,” Dixon said, referring to the Horned Frogs being outrebounded 37-24. “Offensively, we were good. We kept attacking … happy with the win.”
TCU has consecutive wins over Oklahoma State and Baylor following a four-game losing streak. The Frogs are 9-4 at home this season.
TCU won a 68-67 thriller the last time Houston visited Schollmaier Arena on Jan. 13, 2024. The Cougars have won the past two matchups, defeating TCU 60-45 in the 2024 Big 12 tournament and 65-46 last season.
Houston has not lost consecutive games since the 2023-24 season. In that campaign, the Cougars fell in back-to-back road games vs. Iowa State and TCU.
–Field Level Media
