Previewing Houston's matchup vs. Middle Tennessee State University

Houston basketball is set to take on Middle Tennessee on Monday, December 29, at the Fertitta Center at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Going into the contest, the No. 8 Cougars have an 11-1 record while the Blue Raiders have a 7-4 record, looking to add another win. The Blue Raiders are members of Conference USA, and the distance between the two schools is over 12 hours.

According to ESPN Analytics, Houston is favored to win with a 98.6 percent chance of winning. In 2007 and 2008, both programs met with Houston, taking both games.

Those were the only recorded times these two have battled against each other. The largest margin of victory was 83-68, and the smallest margin of victory was 70-67. The average points scored was 77, with Houston going 2-0 head-to-head.

Cougars vs Blue Raiders Preview

Hey @UHouston Students...

Student Ticket claim for our Dec 29 game vs. Middle Tennessee in Fertitta Center is now open!

All current UH students may claim ✌️🏽 tickets for this game.#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs

🎟 – https://t.co/mNwSZGJIoP pic.twitter.com/DeV2wMjNS8
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) December 22, 2025

The Cougars are in the 12th year under coach Kelvin Sampson, who started his tenure in April 2014. During his time at the University of Houston, he has taken the program to new heights, leading multiple 30+ win seasons and earning seven straight tournament bids from 2018 to 2025, excluding the 2020 COVID-19 season.

Going to the Sweet 16 has been normal as he has gotten his teams there in five straight tournaments and taken them to two Final Fours with a National Championship appearance last season.

It is the goal to get back there after dropping the final game of the year to Florida in the last minutes. So far this season, Sampson’s squad has only lost one game, which came at the hands of Rick Barnes' program at Tennessee, 76-73.

As for Middle Tennessee, the four losses they have suffered came at the hands of Michigan, George Washington, McNeese and Belmont. Their head coach this season is Nick McDevitt, who was announced on March 24, 2018.

The Blue Raiders have only gone to the NCAA Tournament nine times, with the most recent ticket punched coming back in 2017. There have been six appearances in the round of 32 by the program.

This season, Middle Tennessee is shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from downtown, and 70.4 percent from the free-throw line, averaging 78 points per game. As for Houston, it is shooting 45.7 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from behind the arc, and 75.1 percent from the charity stripe, averaging 79.5 points per game.

Players To Watch

For the third time this season...@K1ngFlemings is a member of the @Big12Conference Starting Five of the Week#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/6zU2bQkiOm
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) December 22, 2025

Sampon’s roster is full of stars that have continued to shoot lights out from anywhere.

A couple of guards to keep an eye out for include seniors Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, as well as freshman Kingston Flemings, who have been some of the most accurate ballers this season.

As for the forward group, the Cougars have freshman Chris Cenac Jr. and junior Joseph Tugler, who have gone to work in the paint and have been attacking the glass.

For Middle Tennessee, the best guards have been sophomores Jahvin Carter and Torey Alston, as well as senior Kamari Land. Two forwards who may have a big game include sophomore Torey Alston and junior Chris Loofe.