Houston Cougars On SI

Where Houston Cougars Stand in Big 12 Tournament Bracket

After securing the win on Saturday, the Cougars good a good seed with a trip coming up to Kansas City. 
Kolton Becker|
Feb 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson instructs his team during the second half of the game against the Utah Utes at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Feb 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson instructs his team during the second half of the game against the Utah Utes at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Houston Cougars

Houston basketball officially knows what seed it will be when it travels to T-Mobile Arena for the Big 12 Tournament.

With the win on Saturday against the Cowboys, the Cougars officially learned they would be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

Since head coach Kelvin Sampson’s program has earned the No. 2 seed, they have officially earned a double bye in the tournament and get to sit back and wait to see which opponent they will draw.

What is known right now is which opponent it could be, as BYU is set to play Kansas State, with the winner facing West Virginia. Then, the winner of that game will draw a matchup against Houston.

The Cougars will get to wait, but are aware they will play on Thursday, March 12, in Game 11 on ESPN/ESPN2 at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, March 10, the other Cougars in the conference will take on the Wildcats, and on Wednesday, March 11, all the fans will turn their eyes to see who wants to play them.  

If Houston were to defeat either BYU, West Virginia, or Kansas State, there is a chance they would play other teams with lower rankings, but they'd have to win their matchup first.

Big 12 Tournament Bracket

All 16 Big 12 teams will participate in the tournament, as every program hopes to cut down the nets in Kansas City, Missouri. Four teams earned the double bye in the bracket: Arizona, Houston, Kansas, and Texas Tech.

The Wildcats received the No. 1 overall seed, with the Red Raiders drawing the No. 4 seed on that side of the tournament. On the other side of the bracket, the Cougars earned the No. 2 seed, and the Jayhawks earned the No. 3 seed.

Then, the teams that earned a single bye in the Big 12 include Iowa State, UCF, West Virginia, and TCU.

The Cyclones received the No. 5 seed, with the Golden Knights clinching the No. 8 seed. The Mountaineers obtained the No. 7 spot with the Horned Frogs snagging the No. 6 seed.

There’s a batch of programs that drew the unlucky hand of cards, playing on the first day of the tournament, including No. 16 Utah taking on No. 9 Cincinnati and No. 13 Baylor taking on No. 12 Arizona State.  Additionally, No. 15 Kansas State faces a highly anticipated contest against No. 10 BYU, while No. 14 Oklahoma State squares off against No. 11 Colorado.

If any of the teams make it to the semifinals, the semifinals take place on Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m. on ESPN, followed by the other game at 8:30 on ESPN, capped off by the championship game scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at 5 p.m.  

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Kolton Becker
KOLTON BECKER

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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