The #4-ranked Houston Cougars went into Lubbock and faced a Texas Tech team ranked 10th in the nation and who were coming off a 22-point win over West Virginia. It was a hard-nosed game not for the faint of heart, but Houston emerged 69-61 and earned another big road win.
Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
Houston Cougars Make History With Win Over Texas Tech
After a gritty victory against Iowa State at the weekend, Houston followed that up with another victory against a top-10 opponent. With a record of 24-4, they have earned themselves a share of the Big 12 regular season title, meaning they accomplished something no team has done since 1923. They are the first team to win regular season championships in each of their first two years as part of a major conference since over a hundred years ago.
The Houston Cougars went into Lawrence and clipped #12 Kansas, Tucson to beat a #13 Arizona and now Lubbock to take down a top ten Texas Tech team.
All of that, a part of 13 straight conference road wins.
I want you to take a moment to understand how crazy that is.
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) February 25, 2025
Seemingly every week, Houston builds their resume more and more with quality wins and dominant performances.
Defense
It was another defensive masterclass, with Houston deterring the Red Raiders to 29.8% from the floor. They bullied the Red Raiders down low, with nobody outside of JT Toppin able to find any success deep in the paint. Meanwhile, the perimeter defense did their job as well, holding them to just 20% from beyond the arc. They had 30 attempts from deep compared to just 27 from two, proof of Houston’s stifling interior defense.
Having a below-average shooting performance is not something that can teams do if they want to compete with Houston, and even with 21 made free throws, Tech only put up 61 points.
Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
Texas Tech was down two starters, Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams, but even an abbreviated 7-man rotation showed a lot of fight against a physical Houston team. However, it was not enough to overcome one of the best teams in the nation. Kelvin Sampson’s boys never seem to have off days on the defensive end, and if they can continue to limit turnovers and play within themselves offensively, they will be nearly impossible to beat.
The Houston Cougars Always Seem to Have Enough Answers on Offense
Meanwhile, Houston’s offense was much more effective. They made 6 of their 12 attempts from long distance and were 45% from the field as a team. J’Wan Roberts had 8 free throws in the second half alone as part of his 16 points, but his impact was also felt through 7 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
It was LJ Cryer who stepped up in a big way on Saturday, but Monday was Milos Uzan’s time to shine. Cryer was limited to just 5 points, but Uzan had a career-high 22 points, hitting 8 of 15 shots. The point guard hit a dagger three-pointer with 45 seconds to go, turning a one-possession game into a 6-point lead that the Cougars never let go of.
Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
For the most part, Texas Tech matched the defensive intensity that Houston displayed, but players like Roberts and Uzan made enough individual plays. Complimented by timely buckets from players like Emmanuel Sharp and hustle plays Ja’Vier Francis and JoJo Tugler, the Cougars earned another big win over a Big 12 rival.
The Cougars still face Kansas and Baylor before their season ends, but it’s hard to envision them having any problems in either game if they can continue to play as well as they have been recently. Anything can happen in this conference, but it will take a special performance to topple this team.
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