Previewing Houston’s Big 12 Opener vs. Cincinnati
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The start of the new year and the start of Big 12 basketball conference play, as there are going to be a ton of programs fighting to claim the title.
Houston basketball starts its journey with a date against Cincinnati on Saturday, January 3, at 1 p.m. on FOX.
Heading into the matchup, the Cougars enter with a 12-1 record while the Bearcats are at 8-5. For coach Kelvin Sampson’s program, they are coming off a 69-60 win against Middle Tennessee, while Wes Miller’s team is entering the contest with a big 89-62 win over Lipscomb.
According to ESPN analytics, Houston has an 78.8 percent chance of beating Cincinnati. The last time both schools played each other was on March 1, 2025, when Houston earned the 73-64 win. What is intriguing about this series is that it is split right down the middle: Cincinnati has 13 wins, and so does Houston.
At home against the Bearcats, the Cougars are 9-5 but 4-7 on the road. In the last 10 matchups, the Cougars have handed the Bearcats nine losses and given them only one win. The average number of points scored in the series is 66, with the largest margin of victory being 90-52 and the smallest margin of victory being 67-62.
Houston vs Cincinnati Preview
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For a fifth season, Miller is coaching the program, having been announced as the team's leader back in April 2021. He was hired from UNC-Greensboro and is working to bring the school a Big 12 title and national championship. He’s been coaching for over 14 years and has five straight 20-win seasons. Additionally, Miller has made the NCAA Tournament twice, back in 2018 and 2021.
As for the Cougars, Samspon has been a highly successful coach who brought the team to the championship last season but lost to the Gators at the end of the road. He was the ninth coach of the Cougars and is a 36-year head coaching veteran, so he is very knowledgeable about how to make players the best they can be and how other programs like to play.
The wins for Miller’s squad this season have come against West Carolina, Georgia State, Dayton, Mount St. Mary's, NJIT, Tarleton State, Alabama State and Lipscomb. The losses were against No. 6 Louisville, Eastern Michigan, Xavier, Georgia and Clemson. Houston has only lost to Tennessee.
Players To Watch
Miller has a handful of players who know how to get the basketball through the net. Their highest scorer is junior guard Jizzle James, and their best rebounder is senior forward Baba Miller. From behind the arc, Miller is the best shooter from three, while G Day Day Thomas is the second best, going 40.2 percent.
Sampson’s group is extremely physical and can get to the basket. The leading scorer is senior G Emanuel Sharp, while freshman G Kingston Flemings has the best field goal percentage at 56.4 percent. A key returner who came back after a disappointing loss to end the season is senior G Milos Uzan, who has earned the most minutes of any player.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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