But after a monumental defeat by the nation's No. 1 team on Tuesday night, the UH Cougars could be in line to snatch the crown away for at least one week.
The video above is from a Feb. 20, 2024, report.
[Ads /]
The No. 1 UConn Huskies, the defending national champions, suffered their third loss in their 27th season game when they entered a so-called "buzzsaw" matchup with the No. 15 Creighton Blue Jays. The 19-point loss came a day after both Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches polls selected UConn as a unanimous No. 1, the first for any team this season.
How does this impact head coach Kelvin Sampson and his team? Houston sits behind UConn at No. 2, earning a leap-frog after the previous second-best team, Purdue, was upset by the Ohio State Buckeyes last week.
SEE MORE: UH Cougars men's basketball defies doubters to seize control of Big 12 title chase
So, No. 1 is most assured for Houston, right? Well...
[Ads /]
UH is set to compete in one more game before the new polls are released the following Monday. No. 11 Baylor hosts Houston in Waco on Saturday for a matchup scheduled before most college kids wake up on the weekends - 11 a.m.
ESPN Analytics gave Houston a 73% chance of claiming victory in the big brunch-time contest.
By the way, Baylor also lost on Tuesday when the Bears faced No. 25 BYU. Interesting times, indeed.
Clear that hurdle, and Houston likely becomes the No. 1 team in the nation - the program's first top ranking since Week 18 last season. Four different teams have held on to No. 1 this season already.
So what if Houston earns No. 1? Isn't this a week-by-week sport?
Sure, but momentum is everything. From March Madness' round of 64 onward, six straight victories earned the national title.
[Ads /]
Lucky for UH fans, Houston has held steady on winning late in the season while earning signature victories against ranked teams. The Coogs' win over No. 6 Iowa State on Monday holds weight with the tournament selection committee to determine whether Houston becomes a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN Bet likes the Coogs, who, as of Wednesday, have the best odds of winning the Big 12 and the third-best chance of winning it all in March.
A reminder that this is Houston's first year in the vaunted Big 12 Conference.
Remaining UH schedule
- Feb. 24: at Baylor
- Feb. 27: Cincinnati
- March 2: at Oklahoma, airs on ESPN2
- March 6: at UCF
- March 9: Kansas, airs on ESPN