The Good, Bad and Ugly of No. 5 Houston Cougars' Blowout Loss to No. 14 Kansas
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The No. 5 Houston Cougars got outplayed in the second half and lost in convincing fashion to No. 14 Kansas in Phog Allen Fieldhouse 69-56 on Big Monday to lose their third straight game.
This marked the first time that Houston has lost three straight games since January 2018. It hasn't been easy for the Cougars lately as they now drop to 23-5 on the season. Houston's 11-4 Big 12 record now drops to fourth in the conference and any chances of winning the Big 12 regular season title are basically out of the window. Kansas is now 21-7 and 11-4 in the Big 12 as well.
Here's the good, bad and ugly.
Good: Early Start
This is surprising to say, but there was not a lot of good of Houston in this game. It is rare to see the Cougars lose by double digits, and that is what happened in this game. However, it didn't seem like that would be the case in the beginning.
Houston got out to a good start and went up 11-3. The Cougars were doing well in attacking the basket, but most importantly, their defense was on brand. Houston was forcing turnovers, getting rebounds, and being aggressive on the offensive end.
Almost all players were contributing. Houston was up 27-20 with just over three minutes left in the first half, and that was the last of the good for UH in this one. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings was the leading scorer with 16 points on 6/18 shooting. Sophomore guard Mercy Miller did add nine points off the bench.
Bad: Runs Around the Half
Houston was in the game early, but an 11-0 run by Kansas within the last three minutes of the first half after UH went up 27-20 was dissapointing to see. It seemed like the Cougars would have the lead heading into half, but that was not the case at all.
It was a huge letdown to all the effort Houston had put through the first 17 minutes. A couple of free throws, a 3-pointer and a late basket from freshman guard Darryn Peterson gave Kansas a 31-27 halftime lead.
Senior guard Emanuel Sharp had 0 points in a struggling first half. He was 0/6 and 0/3 from downtown. Houston quickly made it a one-point game at the beginning of the second half thanks to Sharp's first 3-point make, but it got out of hand after that. No one besides Flemings was in double-digits for Houston, while Kansas had four of their starters reach that mark.
Sharp ended up with just five points on a horrible 1/10 from the field and 1/6 from three in 29 minutes. He also picked up four fouls. Meanwhile senior point guard Milos Uzan scored just seven points on just 3/7 shooting. He was not aggresive enough. Junior forward Joseph Tugler could only contribute four points while freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. was 4/13 from the field.
Ugly: Second Half
This was the first time Houston lost by double digits since the 2024 Big 12 Tournament Championship against Iowa State 69-41. Interestingly, the last time Houston lost by double digits in the regular season was also at Kansas just over two years ago, 78-65, also a 13-point deficit.
It's safe to say the Houston has found difficulties at Allen Fieldhouse besides the miracle win in double overtime last season. No one thought it would be a blowout this time around especially with how the second half started, but that was not the case at all.
Kansas went on a massive 16-3 run that just broke the game open. Houston was down just one at 33-32 before it suddenly became 49-35. it was followed up by another 12-2 run that put the night away for the Cougars at 61-41, a 20-point deficit.
Houston was already not shooting great before the half, and that further increased in the second half. The Cougars were ice cold and could not even get close to making a shot during long stretch of almost seven minutes. Even though UH was getting offensive rebounds and stops, the offense flat out disappeared.
Houston shot just 32% for the whole game, and it was 30% in the second half. The Coogs were just 21% from 3-point land, an unremarkable 5/24. UH was 1/10 from three in the first half. Meanwhile, Kansas was just the complete opposite. KU shot 44% overall, but the team was on fire in the second half. The Jayhawks shot 57% from the field and were 5/8 (63%) in the last 20 minutes.
The Cougars could not stop senior guard Tre White who had 23 points. Houston got crushed on the defensive glass 31-20 and could only manage 14 points off 12 Kansas turnovers. The game just started off inauspicious for Houston who could not get the rebound on the opening defensive possession that led to an and-one.
Houston will look to get a much needed win this Saturday against Colorado.
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.