Top Big 12 Matchups for Houston Cougars Ahead of the Season
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Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars have been dominant in their first two years in the Big 12 and have quickly established themselves as the team to beat in the conference.
The Cougars have already filled their trophy case with a pair of regular-season Big 12 titles and their first Big 12 Tournament crown last season. Houston will head into the 2025-26 season once again as top national championship contenders and heavy favorites in the Big 12.
On Tuesday, the Big 12 revealed the conference schedules for each team, with the Cougars finding out their 18-game slate as they look to defend their spot at the top of the conference. With the release of the schedule, a few games stand out immediately. Here's a look at a few of them.
What are the Top Matchups Awaiting the Cougars in 2025-26?
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Possibly the toughest challenge on the Cougars' conference schedule will be their matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who finished a year ago with a 28-9 record and were a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas Tech returns its top player in JT Toppin, who was last year's Big 12 Player of the Year and recognized as a preseason first-team All-American before the 2025-26 season.
The two Texas teams will be facing each other in a home-and-away series early on in conference play, with the Cougars' conference opener at home being against the Red Raiders on Jan. 6, and the second game of the season in Lubbock will be on Jan. 24.
BYU Cougars
BYU's outlook for the upcoming season is likely the brightest it's been since the Jimmer Fredette days in Provo, with the optimism resting on the shoulders of the Cougars' elite freshman forward in AJ Dybantsa. The five-star freshman was the most sought-after prospect in the 2025 class as the No. 1 player in the entire nation, and if he lives up to the hype, BYU could be a contender in the Big 12.
Houston will face BYU just once this season in early February as the Coogs travel up to Utah to face the Cougs on Feb 7. The two teams faced off twice a season ago, with Houston taking the victory in both matchups, once at home and the second to book their spot in the Big 12 championship game with a victory in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Kansas Jayhawks
A blue blood will always be a difficult matchup, and against the Kansas Jayhawks, that statement will likely always ring true. Head coach Bill Self and Kansas will look to improve from a 21-13 season with their run in the NCAA Tournament ending in the first round, which, by the standards at Kansas, can be seen as a disappointing season in Lawrence.
Seen as two of the top teams in the Big 12, the Cougars will face off against the Jayhawks just once this upcoming season in late February. The Feb. 23 matchup will be on the road for Houston, traveling to Allen Fieldhouse, and could be influential in the Big 12 and national rankings as the season winds down.
