Houston Cougars Basketball To Host Exhibition Match vs. Florida State Seminoles

The two teams will meet on the hardwood for the sixth time ever, and first in over 50 years.

Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) shoots against Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) in the second half in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

After falling just three points shy of a national championship this past April to the Florida Gators, the Houston Cougars are out for revenge as they continue to search for natty number one for the school.

And now, with one Florida team still fresh on their minds, the Cougars will now have to shift their focus to another team from "The Sunshine State," the Florida State Seminoles from the state's capital of Tallahassee, who will be visiting H-Town for a matchup with the Cougars, their first meeting since 1974.

The two teams will square off for the sixth time ever at the Toyota Center, the home of the Houston Rockets, on December 6, as part of the Houston Hoops Showdown.

Tickets Go On Sale September 17th

Tickets for the Houston Hoops Showdown will on sale Sept. 17, with a one-day presale set for Sept. 16. Fans can sign up to receive event news and be eligible for presale access by visitingwww.toyotacenter.com/hoops-showdown.

Feb 24, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard LJ Cryer (4) dribbles the ball against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kerwin Walton (24) in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The Coogs' men's basketball team, including their postseason contests, finished with a 35-5 record in the 2024-25 season, their 11th under head coach Kelvin Sampson, who has been credited with making the Cougars the force in men's college basketball that they have been over the past few years.

The Houston men's team finished with the No. 2 ranking in the AP poll, and were the regular season and conference tournament champions of the Big 12 Conference.

After posting a 5-3 record to start out the 2024 portion of the season, the Cougars would go on to win their next 13 games, including their first nine conference games, raising their rank from 17 all the way to No. 6 before being upset by the No. 22 Texas Tech Red Raiders to start the month of February in 2025.

The team would then indulge in an 18-game winning streak, which included a hectic NCAA Tournament that saw them squeak by the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 round, a more decisive 69-50 win over the Tennessee Volunteers in the Elite 8, a close 70-67 win over Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils in the Final 4, and finally, the heartbreaking 65-63 loss in the championship game to Florida.

The Seminoles, on the other hand, were not as fortunate as their opposition, ending their season by losing 10 of their last 14 games, which culminated in a 17-15 record, ending with a loss to the Syracuse Orange in the first round of the ACC Tournament.