Houston Basketball Picks Up Huge Ranked Road Win Over No. 16 BYU
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The Houston Cougars picked up a huge road win on Saturday night by defeating BYU 77-66 in Provo, Utah.
After a close contest all the way through the game, UH’s playmakers stepped up when it mattered and they walked away victorious.
With the win, Houston improves to 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12. Next up, the Cougars will face the Utah Utes on Tuesday, Feb. 10, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Houston vs BYU Game Recap
With a much anticipated matchup with two teams that sit towards the top of the Big 12 Conference, the game was fought hard all the way through, and it felt just like an NCAA Tournament game.
BYU suffered a close loss to Oklahoma State in its last game, and tonight it came out with a new energy.
BYU’s freshman forward AJ Dybantsa led the charge for his team tonight, and he showed why he is in the conversation to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Dybantsa finished the game with 28 points, and the young playmaker made several clutch shots to keep BYU in the game.
The good news for Houston is that they have two of the best freshman in the entire NCAA, and the two rookies showed out tonight.
Freshman guard Kingston Flemings and freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. combined for 35 points to lead Houston to a big win.
Flemings took over late in the game, and he is the guy that Houston wants to have the ball in those moments.
He finished with 19 points, and the young guard was ecstatic after the big win in Provo.
Chris Cenac Jr. also made his mark on the game tonight, finishing with 16 points and five rebounds.
Since his down game against Texas Tech, he has turned a corner and he’s had a much larger impact on each and every game.
Cenac Jr. seems to be oozing with confidence on both sides of the ball, and he has been knocking down tough shots with zero hesitation.
Houston’s other two big men, senior forward Khalifa Sakho and junior forward Joseph Tugler, both had excellent games all around.
Sakho has seemed more comfortable with coach Kelvin Sampson’s system, and he has now finished with seven points in back-to-back games.
Tugler also made a huge impact by scoring 10 points on a perfect shooting percentage.
Despite fouling out and playing only 24 minutes, the veteran managed to grab six rebounds and record two blocks, and his defensive presence was enough to throw off BYU when he was on the floor.
Tonight was a big win for Houston and they continue to show improvements as March is right around the corner.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).