Kansas vs Houston: Bill Self’s Big Monday Perfection at Risk vs Cougars

Kansas' Big 12 title hopes likely vanished on Saturday when the team was upset by Cincinnati. The Jayhawks fell to 10-4 in conference play, a significant improvement from prior years, but not enough to match the records of top schools like Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State.

However, they are still battling to secure a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and face a quick turnaround with a Big Monday matchup looming. Houston will come to town as KU looks to rebound from one of its worst home losses in program history.

Although there has been hesitation about the Jayhawks from national analysts due to the recent defeat and the injury concerns surrounding Darryn Peterson, one of Bill Self's most legendary streaks at the university will be on the line tomorrow — his undefeated record on Big Monday at home.

During his 23-year tenure at the helm, Self holds a flawless 39-0 record in Allen Fieldhouse at home. Houston has a chance to snap that streak, but will it be able to erase its own losing skid?

Houston Is No Stranger to Winning in Lawrence

Jan 25, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Zeke Mayo (5) shoots as Houston Cougars forward Ja'Vier Francis (5) defends during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

When the Cougars traveled to Lawrence a year ago, the end result was one of the most embarrassing home losses in recent memory. The double-overtime thriller featured some exciting back-and-forth action, but the Jayhawks unfathomably squandered their leads countless times.

Leading 79-73 in the first overtime with 18 seconds to go, Dajuan Harris would miss a pair of free throws, and UH responded with a pair of threes (one off an inbounds blunder) that would send the game to an extra period. According to college basketball analytics, it was the most unlikely win between two AP Top 25 teams in nearly 1,500 games.

Per KenPom, Houston had a 0.4% chance to win when Kansas had the ball and a 6-point lead with 20 seconds remaining in 1st OT.

That makes Houston’s eventual win the most unlikely in any of the 1,487 games between AP Top-25 teams over the last 15 seasons.
— Jared Berson (@JaredBerson) January 26, 2025

The Cougars have dropped back-to-back games and fallen from the top of the conference standings, meaning Kelvin Sampson's group will be urgently looking to return to the win column. UH has already defeated teams like Arkansas, BYU, and Texas Tech this season.

Regardless, KU's dominance at home — especially on Big Monday — is undeniable. The program extended his record two weeks ago when No. 1 Arizona came to the Fieldhouse and was handed its first loss of the season.

Self's Big Monday perfection is not his only streak at risk tomorrow. Under his guidance, Kansas is 15-0 against teams ranked higher than it since 2003. Even with back-to-back losses, UH will remain much higher than the Jayhawks in the AP Top 25 when it unveils today.

Additionally, the Jayhawks have never lost consecutive games in the Phog with Self at the helm. Since they lost to Cincinnati yesterday, that adds an extra level of importance to an already crucial matchup.

History would suggest that Kansas should always be favored as the home team, but it certainly has a lot of things to clean up after its dreadful performance against UC. We will soon learn if some of Self's most impressive records at the university will be snapped tomorrow evening.