Blue Out, Blowout: 3 Takeaways From No. 7 Houston Cougars' Win Over West Virginia
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A season-high five triples in a bounce-back outing from senior guard Milos Uzan helped the No. 7 Houston Cougars avoid the blues in their 77-48 blowout win over the West Virginia Mountaineers Tuesday night at a Fertitta Center decked in Houston Blue.
In wearing new two-tone schemed jerseys for the themed night, Uzan and redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp combined for 30 points on 10-for-22 shooting to lift the Cougars not only to 16-1 overall and a 4-0 start in Big 12 play, but a win in coach Kelvin Sampson's 400th game ever coached in his 12 seasons at the University of Houston.
4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ games as a Cougar.
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) January 14, 2026
Glad to have you on our side, @CoachSampsonUH #ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/tEMycYWhge
Though it may be just another milestone with the program for Sampson, it's still a key step towards the Cougars to potentially clinch the golden one of his career in a projected record season in bids for the Big 12.
Bolstering this milestone and a continual perfect start in league play, here are three key takeaways from the blue-out turned blowout for the Cougars.
Cougars wore the blues, Mountaineers felt them
Not even the least complete version of the 2025-26 Cougars could feel "blue" in a less-than-ideal shooting night, considering that for the first 17 minutes of the game, Houston held West Virginia to single-digit scoring on a 2-for-16 start from the floor.
For the first 15 minutes, the Cougars impressively anchored the Mountaineers to just five points, entertaining the possibility of single digits at the half.
But in the end, the only blues that were felt rather than worn came in West Virginia,e finishing with 15 turnovers that led to Houston's separation late in the contest.
It may have taken a two-tone shade of blue, but it all helped break a three-game losing streak among Houston's revenue-generating sports between football and men's basketball in wearing its trademarked Houston Blue-themed uniforms.
Uzan gets back in the groove from deep with season-high
Heading into Tuesday night, Uzan had a season clip of 23 percent from deep and had gone 0-for-8 from range across a two-game span at home against Texas Tech and at Baylor.
Though it simply comes down to whether the ball falls in or not on a good look, the best of him beyond the perimeter appeared with a season-high five triples, which accounted for 15 of his team-leading 17 points.
Still, confidence is not a factor in his offensive output, considering his off-ball abilities and assist value that keep Houston afloat in clean basketball.
However, in the eyes of Sampson and rightfully so, he cashes in where it counts dramatically, whether it be Houston's 72-64 win over Arizona in the 2025 Big 12 tournament championship game, its 62-60 win over Purdue in the 2025 NCAA tournament Sweet 16, or its recent come-from-behind 67-60 win on the road over Cincinnati on Jan. 3 this season.
Cenac cashes seventh 10-rebound game
Chris Cenac Jr.'s value is a near-understatement through 17 games, considering his 7-foot-4 wingspan has helped him average nearly eight boards a game.
As time passes by in Big 12 play, Cenac could contend to finish averaging a double-double as he sits at 9.3 points per game. That step may have been helped when he cashed in his seventh 10-rebound game of the season.
"Let me tell you something about Chris Cenac. I love that kid," Sampson said.
Though just another mark on the board, Sampson took to his praises for the freshman forward, considering his defense has come a long way already from the beginning of the season.
"The reason it took so long to see any improvement whatsoever is that he's never played on the perimeter," he said.
To his point, to be able to guard at the 3-point line while racking a considerable amount of boards is an impressive feat of physicality and being willing to not give up on plays. It's another testament as to how offense doesn't always tell the story for a player's true value in a team effort.
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.