Houston Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson applauds during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, February 23, 2026. No. 5 Houston will look to build momentum for the NCAA Tournament and get back on a winning track in the late-season Big 12 Conference when it hosts Colorado on Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars (23-5, 11-4 Big 12) have lost three straight in eight days, two on the road and three all against top-15 teams. It’s the first time Houston has lost three games in a row since January 2017, but pollsters still rate the Cougars highly. Houston is still projected to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m proud of my team,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said after his third loss, a 69-56 loss to No. 14 Kansas on Monday. “It’s not the end of the world. I’m not going to jump off a bridge just because we lose.”
Kingston Flemings scored 16 points and was the Cougars’ only double-digit scorer in Monday’s loss. Houston shot just 31.8 percent from the floor and made just 5 of 24 on 3-point attempts.
The Cougars’ losing streak included a loss to then-No. 6 Iowa State and at home against then-No. 4 Arizona.
“It’s all over now,” Sampson said. “We lick our wounds. Basketball is a humbling sport and always has been. This is a great life lesson for everyone. When we play these good teams, you have to be at the top of your game and we weren’t.”
The Cougars start on Tuesday and Wednesday (the latter for the first time this season) and are again focused on beating Colorado in their remaining Big 12 games. With three games remaining in the regular season, Houston is tied for fourth place in the league with Iowa State, Kansas State, and Texas Tech.
The top four seeds advance to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, while 5th-8th place receive a first-round bye.
The Buffaloes (16-12, 6-9) head to the Bayou City after back-to-back wins at home. Most recently, it was decided 79-70 against Kansas State on Wednesday. Isaiah Johnson had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Colorado’s win, Ian Inman added a career-high 17 points, Barrington Hares scored 15 points, Sebastian Rancic had 13 points and Van Goat Dach had 10 points.
“The epitome of an ugly victory, I saw it on display tonight,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said after Wednesday’s win. “I’m not very happy. I told my guys in the locker room that my job is to make sure we live in the truth, and I call it how I see it.”
Fifteen of Inman’s points Wednesday came from five 3-pointers.
“Ultimately it’s about me continuing to try,” Inman said. “It’s always been important to stick to my hard work and mentality. Ultimately, it’s important to produce when the time comes.”
Colorado has doubled its conference wins from a year ago, when it went 3-17 in league play. The Buffaloes sit 11th in the Big 12, two games and three spots below the first-round bye threshold with three games remaining and unable to finish lower than 14th in the final league standings.
–Field level media
