college basketball

Things got interesting if you're a Houston Cougars men's hoops fan

ByMatt Guillermo KTRK logo

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

UH defies doubters to seize control of Big 12 title chase

The University of Houston Cougars men's basketball team seized control of first place in the Big 12 during its remarkable debut season.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The University of Houston men's basketball team won't settle for second-best, at least when the season's final buzzer sounds.

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.

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...

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.

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.