No. 8 Houston Cougars vs No. 16 BYU Live Updates, Box Score
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The No. 8 Houston Cougars will be ramping up conference action on late Saturday night with a key battle against the fellow Cougars of BYU, ranked No. 16. With the calendar now turned to February, all these ranked Big 12 matchups pose significant importance.
This is the first Big 12 ranked game for Houston outside of No. 13 Texas Tech twice, and it will not be easy to say the least inside the Marriott Center at Provo, Utah. Houston comes in second in the Big 12 standings with a 20-2 record and an 8-1 conference record.
BYU is still one of the most talented teams out there, led by star freshman forward AJ Dybantsa, but is currently eighth in the Big 12 standings with a 17-5 overall record and a 5-4 conference mark. It hasn’t been an easy go for BYU as of late, coming in with three straight losses and four out of their last five against strong competition.
Houston will face a team on the road hungry to get back on track. BYU is coming off a 99-92 loss against Oklahoma State on Wednesday and also lost its last home game 86-83 to No. 1 Arizona.
Coogs vs Cougs
Houston is coming off a 24-point thrashing of UCF, one of the better teams in the Big 12, at home on Wednesday. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings was the leading scorer for the 13th time this season with 18 points and six assists. UH has won three in a row and 14 out of the last 15.
The Cougars have been road warriors in the past, and they will have to be again in this one. Houston had won a Big 12 and school record 16 straight road games going back to last season, but that came to an end against Texas Tech a while back. Houston just crossed the 20-win mark for the 11th straight season under coach Kelvin Sampson.
BYU is 9-1 in home games at Marriott Center so far, with the only loss being to No. 1 Arizona. The Cougs are led by Dybantsa, who averages 23.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Dybantsa put up 36 points at Stillwater in a losing effort. Senior guard Richie Saunders is second with 19.5 PPG, and sophomore guard Robert Wright III is third with 17.4 PPG.
Houston leads the all-time series 8-3 and has won the last three and six out of the last seven. These two programs last met in the 2025 Big 12 tournament semifinals, that UH won 74-54. Houston also leads the series on the road 3-1, with the last game coming in 2024, a 75-68 UH win. BYU is one of just seven teams to win at Fertitta Center, and it won’t be easy tonight.
Houston faces off against BYU in Provo. 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 | 31 |
Starting Lineup: G Kingston Flemings, G Milos Uzan, G Emanuel Sharp, F Joseph Tugler, F Chris Cenac Jr.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 7, BYU 2
A rare early turnover by Houston results in a basket from BYU. Flemings found Cenac Jr. in the paint for a responding slam and the big man followed that up with a layup. He also hit a 3-pointer.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 17, BYU 11
Uzan hit a 3-pointer and Dybantsa gets on the board. Sakho throws down a slam. BYU makes a couple other shots. Sharp hits his three and then a floater.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 21, BYU 18
Cenac Jr. got to his spot and knocks down the jumper. Saunders responds with a 3-pointer. BYU goes on a 7-0 run. Flemings gets his first points 13 minutes in.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 28, BYU 18
Cenac Jr. hits another three and already has 12 points. Houston went on a 9-0 run, and Flemings had a high layup off glass. Houston's defense is working well. There was a freshman battle as Dybantsa blocked a shot from Flemings.
HALFTIME: Houston 37, BYU 31
Harwell rattles in a 3-pointer and the Cougars get an 11 point lead. Flemings blows by defenders and gets a layup. BYU gets on a run thanks to Dybantsa, but Tugler gets a tip-in right before the half buzzer. Houston shot well over 40%. Cenac Jr. was the leading scorer for UH with 12 points, while Dybantsa put up 13.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 46, BYU 42
Tugler becomes the key offensive player for Houston to start the second half while Uzan hit another three. BYU continues to respond.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 52, BYU 52
This has now officially turned into a Big 12 heavweight fight. Houston's lead dissapears as BYU heats up from beyond the arc led by Wright and Dybantsa. BYU took their first lead since 2-0 during this period. Both Flemings and Harwell came up limping as the physicality is at a high level.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 59, BYU 54
Both teams are going back and forth, but Flemings is reallly starting to attack and get going.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 67, BYU 59
Flemings attacked, and made an acrobatic layup. UH's offensive rebounding became a factor. Cenac Jr. hit a nice jumper. BYU continues to draw fouls. Sakho is really starting to make an impact, and made a crucial second chance layup off his own offensive rebound.
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.