No. 3 Houston Cougars vs Kansas State Wildcats Live Updates, Box Score
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The No. 3 Houston Cougars finally return home after a lengthy road trip and stay in Utah and will take on a struggling Kansas State team in the Fertitta Center on Saturday afternoon.
Houston has won its last five games and 16 out of the last 17 after a 66-52 win over Utah on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. The standout moment from the game was redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp breaking the Houston all-time 3-point career record mark thanks to his eight threes and reaching 277 total 3-pointers. He moved past Marcus Sasser on that list.
Sharp led Houston against the Utes with 27 points. Houston enters this game with a 22-2 record and 10-1 mark in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Kansas State is also one of the worst teams in the conference, tied with Utah for 15th. The Wildcats have a 10-14 overall record and are 1-10 in the Big 12. They have lost 10 out of their last 11 and their last win came on Jan. 20 against Utah at home.
Coogs vs Wildcats
Kansas State is 1-6 in road games and are led by junior guard PJ Haggerty with 23.3 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is second on the team with just over four assists and a steal per game as well. The Wildcats are coming off a 91-62 beatup against Cincinnati in front of their home fans. Head coach Jerome Tang is in his fourth season leading Kansas State as an alum and is 0-2 against Houston and Kelvin Sampson in his career.
The all-time series is tied 5-5 with the Cougars winning the last game by 30 points in Manhattan, Kansas 87-57 last January. Houston is 3-1 in home games against Kansas State and last won 74-52 back in 2024 at Fertitta Center.
Houston faces off against Kansas State at home. Be sure to check back here at tipoff for live updates as the game goes on.
Follow below for live updates as the game progresses.
Live Updates
1st Half | 2nd Half | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 33 | ||
Kansas State | 19 |
Starting Lineup: G Kingston Flemings, G Milos Uzan, G Emanuel Sharp, F Joseph Tugler, F Chris Cenac Jr.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 2, Kansas State 6
Houston got the quick bucket with Sharp, but Kansas State is ready to go. The Wildcats hit a pair of threes and have thelead.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 6, Kansas State 15
Kansas State is flat out here to play. Houston is down nine to the worst team in the Big 12, and it shows just how tough this conference can be. Multiple 3-pointers continue to go down by Haggerty, and the Cougars offense is looking rusty to start. K-State was doing great on the boards.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 15, Kansas State 16
Sharp has hit a couple 3-pointers and the Cougars have got to the free throw line. Houston starts to get some steals and turnovers, but have not been able to convert that into points effectively. UH's defense picks up.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 25, Kansas State 19
Houston comes out of the timeout and takes the lead on a dunk by Cenac Jr. Sakho throws it down for another dunk. The Cougars offense starts to get going and some great ball movement. Uzan knocks down a triple.
HALFTIME: Houston 33, Kansas State 19
Kansas State was held scoreless for the last five minutes, as the Cougars go on a 27-4 run since the under 12 timeout. Sharp is the leading scorer with 14 and Uzan has seven. K-State cooled down shooting wise, and the Cougars cleaned up the boards. Houston scores the last six points from the free throw line.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 47, Kansas State 32
Tugler scores his first points of the game, followed up by a midrange jumper from Flemings. Houston forced a turnover and Sharp throws down the slam and yells in excitement to the crowd. That forced a quick K-State timeout. Just like that, the Coogs go up 20. The Wildcats are not done yet and go on a 9-0 run.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 51, Kansas State 34
Houston well in control at this point and Uzan has been a key contributor. The Cougars bench starts to get the scoring going.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 57, Kansas State 44
The Wildcats are still hanging around and Haggerty scores the last seven points for Kansas State.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 69, Kansas State 53
Houston extends the lead back out to 16 thanks to the two starting freshmen in Flemings and Cenac Jr.
FINAL: Houston 78, Kansas State 64
It was a free throw game late. Sharp led the way with 23 points but got fouled out. Houston improves to 23-2 and 11-1 in the Big 12 while K-State drops another in a tough season for its program. A little more close than initially thought, but it's still another comfortable win. Houston shot better overall and cleaned up most of its struggles early.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.