Houston Cougars Announce Schedule Change for Home Matchup vs Kansas State

The Cougars' conference matchup against the Wildcats will tip-off earlier than expected.

Jan 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) brings the ball up court past TCU Horned Frogs guard Brock Harding (2) during the second half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On Thursday morning, GoCoogs.com announced on X that the Houston Cougars' home matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats on Feb. 14 will now tipoff at 3 p.m. The Big 12 conference matchup was originally set to start at 8 p.m.

Fans will need to plan accordingly, as the earlier tipoff means that the doors at the Fertitta Center will open sooner than originally scheduled.

Despite the time change, head coach Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars will still look to remain undefeated at home this season. Both of Houston's losses up to this point have come either on the road or at a neutral site.

The Cougars Face Challenging Road Matchups

Jan 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson looks on during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Aside from their home matchup against the No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Feb. 21, the Cougars got the short end of the stick when it comes to their remaining conference schedule. While Houston will play teams like Cincinnati, UCF, Kansas State, Colorado, and Baylor at home, they'll have to go on the road to face some of the better teams in the best college basketball conference in the country.

Of Houston's five remaining road games, three of them will be played against ranked opponents such as No. 13 BYU (Feb. 7), No. 8 Iowa State (Feb. 16), and No. 14 Kansas (Feb. 23). While the Cougars are certainly talented enough to take care of business on the road, even against some of the premier teams in the Big 12, that kind of schedule can wear a program down.

While TCU isn't the most consistent program in the Big 12, Houston's hard-fought win over the Horned Frogs reinforced the idea that this Cougars team can win in hostile environments. Playing on the road in a packed Schollmaier Arena, Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp showed a level of composure and execution that's hard to come by.

Flemings, coming off a 40-point performance against Texas Tech, picked up right where he left off against a TCU squad that prides itself on shutting down elite playmakers. The freshman guard shot 8 of 16 from the floor and drained nine free throws to total 27 points. Sharp had a similar line, but didn't get sent to the free-throw line as much as he totaled 23 points.

If Flemings and Sharp can remain consistent, both on the road and at home, Houston should have no problem competing for a Big 12 regular-season title. Houston's home matchup against Arizona in February appears to be a pivotal point in their standing in the conference.