Houston Down at Half: No. 5 Houston Cougars vs BYU Live Updates, Box Score
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The postseason is officially underway for the No. 5 Houston Cougars as they take on the BYU Cougars in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 basketball tournament.
Houston finished second in the Big 12 with a 26-5 overall record and a 14-4 conference mark. That’s why the Coogs are the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 tournament and received a double bye to make their first appearance in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, BYU is the No. 10 seed with a 9-9 conference record and is now 25-10 overall. BYU had to play in both the first and second rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Houston has four days of rest coming in.
Houston is the Big 12 tournament defending champions for the first time in program history after beating Colorado, BYU, and Arizona as the No. 1 seed last season after winning the regular season title. It will be much more challenging to win back-to-back with the level of competition, and that begins with BYU led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year in AJ Dybantsa.
Houston is coming off a come-from-behind 82-75 win at Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon where redshirt freshman forward Chase McCarty was the leading scorer with 20 points off the bench while five players total were in double digits. Houston has won three games in a row entering the conference tournament while BYU has been on fire so far in Kansas City.
BYU has won three straight games themselves and most recently beat No. 7 seed West Virginia 68-48. BYU also beat No. 15 Kansas State 105-91 where Dybantsa had 40 points.
Coogs vs Cougs
Houston just faced BYU in the lone regular season matchup in Provo back on Feb. 7. UH won that game 77-66 against a BYU team with Richie Saunders, where four players were in double digits, including freshman point guard Kingston Flemings with 19 points. Freshman big man Chris Cenac Jr. added 16 points.
Houston also met BYU in last year’s Big 12 tournament semis that UH won 74-54. Houston leads the all-time series 9-3 and has won the last four games. The Cougars are led by Dybantsa, who averages 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and almost four assists per game on 52% shooting. Sophomore guard Robert Wright III is second with 18.3 PPG.
Four Houston players received Big 12 honors earlier this week, with Flemings and senior guard Emanuel Sharp making the All-Big 12 First team. Flemings, the first freshman All-American in Houston history and the all-time freshman scoring leader, averages 16.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, on 48% shooting. Sharp is right behind him at 15.8 PPG.
Houston is 5-1 in the Big 12 tournament so far and has advanced to the title game the last two seasons. The Cougars have advanced to the Title Game of their conference tournament in each of the last seven seasons. BYU head coach Kevin Young is 0-3 against Houston and Kelvin Sampson.
Houston faces off against BYU in Kansas City. 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 | 37 | ||
BYU | 41 |
Starting Lineup: G Kingston Flemings, G Milos Uzan, G Emanuel Sharp, F Joseph Tugler, F Chris Cenac Jr.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 8, BYU 4
Houston starts the game off with a turnover and Cenac Jr. gets a dunk. Tugler gets a bucket off an offensive rebound. Uzan and Flemings each make a shot.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 13, BYU 12
Dybantsa started to get things going for the Cougs while Sharp hit a 3-pointer.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 23, BYU 17
Houston increased the lead to nine points after a layup by Tugler. Cenac Jr. made BYU pay off turnovers. Wright III hit a three.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 29, BYU 28
Dybantsa and Wright III started to take over and cut into the deficit.
HALFTIME: Houston 37, BYU 41
BYU went on an 11-2 run and suddenly took a four point lead at the half. Kostic hit back-to-back threes and the Cougs got some turnovers. Cenac Jr. was the leading scorer with eight, but Dybantsa had 16 and Wright III had 12.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 47, BYU 46
Uzan starts the scoring in the second half with a second chance 3-pointer. Keita threw down a huge dunk and the response was a monster slam from Tugler. Flemings knocked down a go-ahead three.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 53, BYU 51
It was back and forth but Miller and Flemings scored back-to-back and Houston retook the lead.
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.