Here's What The Houston Cougars Are Focused On Improving Right Now

The No. 7 Houston Cougars finally got back in the win column with a huge 40-point victory over Colorado on Saturday, and a lot looked different than in the previous games.

That, of course, has a lot to do with the opponents. Houston suffered its first three-game losing streak since 2017 after last Monday’s loss to No. 14 Kansas. As noted by coach Kelvin Sampson, the three-game losing streak happened because of the schedule of playing three straight top 15 opponents in one week, with two of them on the road.

However, it gave Houston an idea of what needs to improve, specifically on the offensive end. The Cougars took the opportunity to learn and grow from those losses and changed their offensive approach. Here’s what Sampson said in the post-game press conference about what was different.

What Houston Wanted to Improve

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson applauds a play against Kansas Jayhawks during the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first thing that Sampson said in his press conference was to play faster. The goal for Houston was to attack and score within the first five seconds of the shot clock. Houston was not waiting, and the players took the shots right when they were available. That also applied to cuts in the paint.

It was a clear difference from previous games, where the Cougars would keep passing around looking for a better shot when good shots were in front of them.

"That was the big emphasis this week was our guards getting defensive rebounds and pushing the pace, scoring in transition," Sampson said.

Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings did exactly that as he grabbed six rebounds and, being the quick guard he is, went quickly up and down the court, creating opportunities for Houston’s offense.

Flemings had eight assists, and the Cougars had 17 fast break points against the Buffaloes. His passes gave open lanes for freshman big man Chris Cenac Jr. and fifth-year senior Kalifa Sakho to rack the rim. Sampson believes that Flemings is the best rebounding guard on the team at the moment.

"We're not gonna score 102 like we just did against Kansas. It's not going to change that, but I think we can be way more aggressive than we were. I think we can look to score earlier," Sampson said.

Uzan and Sampson had a conversation this week about being aggressive, and Sampson knows how good he is when he’s attacking to score.

"I thought Milos was starting to drift a little bit. I needed to get him back centered. Remind him of how good he was," Sampson said.

That clearly worked as Uzan tied his career high with 26 points on an efficient 9/13 shooting and was a hot 5/7 from three. He also dished out six assists and had 0 turnovers.

The floater has always been his go-to shot last season, and it has not been as visible this year. When Uzan attacks and uses the floater, it has been very effective, and the offense looks much better. It’s another play for teams to defend, and that also opens up the 3-point shot for him.

Houston is a different team when he’s looking to score.

Sampson said that both Tugler’s and Sakho’s rolls were good. That helped open the corner three on a number of occasions. McCarty, Uzan, and senior guard Emanuel Sharp knocked it down in those spots.

One of the other focuses for Houston this past week was just getting healthy. Both Uzan and Sharp were dealing with injuries during and after the Kansas game last Monday. They both looked much better on Saturday against Colorado.

"The top of this league is a monster. The fact that we're doing it with a lot of kids in their first year has been great. Awesome. Really proud of this team," Sampson said.

While Houston was able to comfortably get it done, it will be interesting to see if their new offensive approach will continue to work deep into March.