What to Watch for in Houston’s Road Game vs. Utah
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Two programs square off, each needing a win for different reasons.
Houston will be searching for a win as it hopes to stay in the race for a Top 4 seed in the conference, and Utah is just hoping to get back to playing .500 or better basketball.
The Cougars currently have a 21-2 record, including a 9-1 mark in the Big 12. As for the Utes, they have a 9-14 record, which is tied for last.
According to ESPN Analytics, Houston is favored to pull out the win with a 93.4 percent chance of winning with the spread at 16.5.
These two schools have met only twice, in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The Cougars own the all-time series, 2-0, with 70-36 and 76-66 wins, and the average points scored is 73.
Cougars vs Utes Preview
TOMORROW!!
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) February 10, 2026
🏀 UH at Utah
⏰ 8 pm CST
📺 ESPN2
📍 Jon M Huntsman Center | Salt Lake City, UT#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/bWdDkxV9b3
When these two teams face off, there are three categories in which they are similar: points, field goal percentage, and blocks.
Utah is averaging 77.9 points, while Houston is averaging 78.8. From the field, both are going for 46 percent and are nearly identical, with Utah at 3.6 blocks per game and Houston at 3.7.
What separates the two schools is defense: the Utes are giving up 80.6 points per game, while the Cougars are giving up only 61.6. Another area where Utes aren’t doing better is rebounding, with 34.6 boards per game compared to the Cougars' 37.
When looking at the offense and defense for both squads, Houston has the No 1 defense in the league and the No. 11 offense, while Utah is No. 13 in offense and No. 15 in defense, which points to head coach Kelvin Sampson’s team having the better players, but can the entire team execute in a possible trap game?
From beyond the arc, the Cougars are No. 15 in the Big 12, so getting more 3-pointers to fall will be of the essence on the road. Meanwhile, the Utes are No. 6 shooting from deep. Earning trips to the free throw line is also a big part of both teams' games, as the Cougars are No. 1 in team free throw percentage, while Utah is No. 9.
Houston is also No. 1 in team offensive rebounds, assist-to-turnover ratio, and turnover margin.
Throughout the season, Houston's only losses have come to Tennessee and Texas Tech. For Utah head coach Alex Jensen, there have been a handful of losses that fell against Cal Poly, Grand Canyon, California, Mississippi State, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Kansas and BYU twice.
In the four quadrants, the Cougars are 7-2 in Quad 1, 6-0 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3, and 6-0 in Quad 4. It’s not close for the Utes as they are 0-8 in Quad 1, 2-4 in Quad 2, 2-1 in Quad 3, and 5-1 in Quad 4.
Does the game's outcome help Houston more, or does it help Utah? Obviously, Houston can drop this game, but it really needs this win to have a shot at being tied for first place. They are in second place momentarily, while Utah is in 16th, tied for last.
To catch the game and find out what happens, it will be on ESPN2 on Tuesday, February 10, at 8 p.m.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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