2 Key Takeaways From Houston's Rematch Loss at Texas Tech
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Freshman guard Kingston Flemings' season-high 42 points weren't enough to help the No. 6 Houston Cougars avoid snapping their 16-game road winning streak and first Big 12 loss of 2025-26, in a 90-86 loss from a rematch of No. 12 Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.
Texas Tech's 44 rebounds, with the bulk coming from junior forward JT Toppin's 31-point, 12-board double-double, spoiled an era-defining performance from Flemings, the projected No. 5 overall NBA draft pick.
Though the game was defined by the boards, or a lack thereof for Houston, it's an instance in which only the Cougars can learn from and set themselves up for a torrid stretch for the remainder of league play, considering a similar precedent was set with its home loss to Texas Tech last season.
After all, coach Kelvin Sampson typically preaches no overreactions. It's something that tends to pay off and effectively silence them for the most part with March approaching.
But with evident frustration, the loss had two takeaways, including the first 40-point performance under Sampson since his tenure at Washington State to bookmark.
First-half defense sets imminent template
When faced with a flurry of foul trouble in its starting frontcourt, which made it sit at minus-7 on the glass at the break, things appeared to look bleak for Houston out of an uncharacteristic defensive first half.
On Jan. 10, the Cougars held Baylor to 55 points in their blowout road win at Foster Pavilion in Waco. However, that allowance was matched at halftime thanks to multiple created Texas Tech possessions from their big-man absence.
It was the most points a Houston team had surrendered at the break in the Sampson era, considering the Cougars came into the game giving up an average of just 60 points per game defensively in 2025-26.
In the end, aside from good looks on the floor not getting their makes, this led to a minus-16 finish on the glass for the Cougars, while every player for Houston aside from Flemings and redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp finished in single-digit scoring.
McCasland's praises not a surprise for former recruit
Though on the winning end of a benchmark performance from his former recruit this time, coach Grant McCasland's appreciation remains the same towards Flemings, whose pinned physicality and toughness put the Red Raiders to another test after his late nine-point spurt from the previous matchup handed them a loss.
These praises were echoed earlier in the week in McCasland's appearance on CBS College Basketball analyst Jon Rothstein's Inside College Basketball Now podcast.
Like most of America, Grant McCasland is a huge fan of Kingston Flemings.https://t.co/c9JLel3odd (Apple)https://t.co/EsZxIkcHSA (Spotify)https://t.co/aOn8eBItyL (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/GfhiBAm8tx
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 23, 2026
Considering the Big 12 experience and regionality of McCasland's prior stops, he witnessed Flemings also become the first Big 12 freshman to record a 30-point, five-assist performance since Trae Young for Oklahoma on Jan. 20, 2018.
Though it'll be the last time the two meet for the regular season, the implications become much higher for a potential rematch as top seeds in the Big 12 tournament in March.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.