The Good, Bad and Ugly of Houston Cougars' Standout Win vs. Arkansas

The Houston Cougars took down Arkansas in arguably their most significant victory so far.

Dec 20, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Houston Cougars guard Ramon Walker Jr. (3) reacts after making a shot against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The No. 8 Houston Cougars put together probably their best performance of the early season, as they comfortably beat No. 14 Arkansas 94-85 at the Never Forget Tribute Classic in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday. Houston was up by double digits for the majority of the game and played balanced on both sides as the Cougars improved to 11-1 on the season. 

Senior guard Emanuel Sharp was the leading scorer with 22 points, while freshman point guard Kingston Flemings added 21 of his own along with six rebounds and five assists. 

Here’s the good, bad, and ugly of this great win. 

Good: Dagger Shots

Dec 20, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) shoots the ball while defended by Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) during the second half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

Houston jumped out to a 21-point lead halfway through the first half thanks to back-to-back threes from freshman guard Isiah Harwell. The Cougars went on an early 15-0 run to take complete control. Houston was up 19-17 and finished the run up 34-17. 

After a competitive early second half, Houston stayed on top by double digits the rest of the way. The reason for that was the clutch defense and 3-point shots the Cougars kept hitting. Every time it looked like Arkansas was turning the corner and coming back into the game, Houston would hit a massive 3-pointer. Additionally, the defense and rebounding were at a high level throughout. 

The clutch triples came from a multitude of players. Sharp just on fire in the second half, as he scored 16 out of his 22 in that period along with his three 3-pointers. Besides Sharp, senior guard Ramon Walker Jr. had his best game of the season with 12 points and a couple of triples as well.

Freshman guard Chase McCarty knocked down a critical 3-pointer late. So did senior point guard Milos Uzan, who ended up with 13 points and four assists. 

Houston had four players in double digits and shot 52 percent from the field. UH was 44 percent from beyond the arc and were able to respond every single time. The Cougars had 19 points off turnovers. 

Senior forward Trevon Brazile is the second-highest scorer on Arkansas, and the UH defense was able to limit him to just five points. 

Bad: Lot of Scoring

Houston’s offense was great in general, but the vaunted Cougar defense still gave up 85 points to the Razorbacks. A big reason for that was star freshman point guard Darius Acuff Jr. He put up 27 points, seven assists, and five rebounds while going 9/15 from the field. Houston did not have an answer for him. 

Down 21 in the first half, Arkansas brought the lead all the way back to under double digits at eight points at halftime. The Cougars were unable to keep the intensity till the period expired. The Razorbacks shot 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.

Ugly: Fouling

Junior forward Joseph Tugler played only 15 minutes. Fouls have always been an issue for him, and that is what causes his low minutes at times. It was no different today as he picked up his fourth foul early in the second half. Typically, that is bad news for Houston, but they were still able to win, relatively without a sweat. 

Even freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. also struggled with fouls, but both bigs made an impact. Tugler scored eight points during his short time on the floor. Houston picked up 24 total fouls, and Arkansas was able to shoot 35 free throws. 

After their best win of the season, the Cougars wrap up non-conference play against Middle Tennessee on Dec. 29.