The Good, Bad and Ugly from No. 8 Houston's Gritty Win Over Cincinnati
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No. 8 Houston Cougars basketball went through a dogfight against the Cincinnati Bearcats, but came out on top 67-60 to win their Big 12 conference opener.
Houston has now won 13 straight games against Cincinnati and won 11 straight conference openers. This new look Cougars team showed a lot of grit in their first conference game of the season, where every game won't be easy.
Here's the good, bad and ugly of this hard fought win.
Good: Clutch Guard Play
Every single time that Houston needed a crucial bucket, the team would deliver. The clutch shooting over and over late in the second half was a great sign to see for the future. Freshman phenom guard Kingston Flemings showed what he can do in a true road environment.
Flemings was the leading scorer with 19 points, six assists and just one turnover. This was a big-time performance for an 18-year-old when Houston was trailing for the majority of the game. Houston outscored Cincinnati 39-27 in the second half.
Senior point guard Milos Uzan demonstrated his road experience and showed up for the best performance of the season so far. It was much needed. Uzan made multiple clutch 3-pointers like he has in the past. Uzan scored 18 points on 50% shooting from the field and four triples.
Houston was down two or three points multiple times down the stretch, but Uzan and Flemings had an answer nearly every time. if not, junior forward Joseph Tugler was a force in the paint with key second-chance points and offensive rebounds. Tugler added eight points and seven rebounds. The defense also came through at important times by forcing turnovers.
Bad: Deficits
Houston put itself in some difficult places against Cincinnati, but found a way to win. That may not be possible against better competition, especially on the road. The Cougars were down 17-8 and 40-30, but made use of some big turnovers and clutch 3-pointers. The offense would go into stretches of droughts and greatly relied on the freshman Flemings for scoring.
Ugly: Emanuel Sharp
Houston got the tough road win even without their best scorer. Senior guard Emanuel Sharp only scored two points, but the Cougars remarkably won. He was held scoreless for basically the entire game before knocking down a couple of late free throws to ice the game.
Sharp was 0/9 from the field and 0/5 from beyond the arc. His streak of one 3-pointer in his last 29 games came to an end. Sharp had four fouls and three turnovers. It was a big effort from the other two point guards as well as the bench. It was an impressive win simply because the team's best scorer only had two points. Typically, you would not win in that situation, but Houston did.
Houston plays their first Big 12 home game against No. 15 Texas Tech on Tuesday.
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.