What Went Right For Houston in Win Over Cincinnati?

Big time.

That's one way to sum up the Houston win over Cincinnati.

There have been only a pair of games that have triggered the Cougars’ offense, and one of those came against the Volunteers, and the other was against the Red Raiders, which came one week ago.

After that loss to Texas Tech, Houston had to refocus and reengage, and it has done so in the last two games, especially against Cincinnati, where the offense won by over 20 points in a one-sided affair.

So, what went right for head coach Kelvin Sampson’s program to get to its seventh win in the Big 12?

Easy Conversions

COOGS WIN
presented by @thejointchiro #ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/FVTFToOlGH
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) January 31, 2026

On certain days, a team struggles to draw the whistle and make opponents accumulate fouls. That wasn't an issue for the Cougars, who were able to make it to the line and convert on easy baskets when needed.

From the charity stripe, Houston went 83 percent, making 15 of its 18 attempts, which added up to be one of the primary reasons to scoot past Cincinnati. Guard Isiah Harwell made a third of his shots, going 5 of 6 from the line, followed by guard Emanuel Sharp, who was perfect at 4 of 4.

Another area where there weren't many problems was getting the ball into the paint, where several players were waiting to catch it and put it through the net. The Cougars posted 26 points in the paint, which generated momentum throughout the game.

Getting the defense to force turnovers was another area of emphasis that cannot be overlooked, as Cincinnati's 19 turnovers opened up the floor for Houston to put it up and in for 26 points off turnovers.

That’s one formula to frustrate the opponent, even when they are winning the rebound battle and shooting better from downtown.

Although the three-ball isn’t the biggest concern for opponents playing Sampson’s team, it's worth acknowledging that it can be a problem, and the nine 3-pointers made were massive for a roster that shot 35 percent from beyond the arc.

Knocking down field goals was also huge, as the Cougars went 46 percent from the field, proving too much as the stars of the day showed up in clutch moments, with shots scattered all over the place. The Bearcats only went 36 percent and didn’t get more than two players in double digits.

As for Houston, that was a different story as Chris Cenac Jr., Sharp and Harwell each registered 13 points each to go along with Milos Uzan’s 16-point performance.

The question now is, can this success be sustained over the next 10 games left in the conference?