Wake up, haters: Houston is a national title contender again, but more dangerous

NEWARK, New Jersey. How do you get one shot at a national title, bring back three key pieces from that team, start 10-1, and still remain on the fringes of the national radar?

Only one way: you are forever underestimated Houston Cougars.

I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's true. Too often.

“Don't sleep on Houston,” Kelvin Sampson said on CBS last April after the Cougars stunned much of the college world by ending Cooper Flagg's college career with an epic 70-67 rout of the top-seeded Cougars. Duke in the Final Four.

It's time to remind the world to wake up again.

Maybe it's because Houston loves to win ugly. Perhaps it's because his schedule hasn't been bright yet. Perhaps it's because the Cougars don't produce disposable talent (though, read on because that's no longer the case).

But here we are again, in another season, and Houston is one of the best teams in the country.

Don't sleep in Houston.

It's time to put the Cougars back on a game-by-game basis as they are the most reliable winning team in college basketball and proved that statement to be true on Saturday with another physically authoritative Houston-style win over superior opponents. Arkansas at the Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center.

The Cougars defeated the Razorbacks 94-85 to improve to 11-1, behind the senior guard's 22 points. Emanuel Sharp and 21 more from the freshman guard. Kingston Flemings younger

Houston entered the game ranked No. 8; Next to Arkansas' name was the number 14. The two teams didn't look as close as those numbers would suggest. Arkansas was within breathing distance throughout the second half but never threatened after Houston opened the game with a 15-0 run to push the lead to 41-19 at the half. The game was balancing there. The only reason it wasn't a blowout was because of the play of the Arkansas freshman. Darius Acuff Jr.which prevented the gap from turning into an abyss.

Acuff, who could very well be a lottery pick in next June's NBA draft, had a game-high 27 points and a game-high seven assists.

“We led 49-41 and it seemed like we played our worst basketball the last three minutes (of the first half),” Sampson said. “But we had some cards to play with because we could spread the floor.”

John Calipari and Kelvin Sampson have 70 seasons and more than 1,600 wins between them, but this was only the second time they've tied for sharpness (Calipari beat Sampson in the 2018 NCAA Tournament). For Arkansas, Saturday was a missed opportunity. The Hogs are 9-3, but a win here would certainly take their reputation up a notch. Instead, they are one of six or seven talented teams at the top of the SEC rankings that will begin league play in two weeks.

Houston is in a much rosier situation. The Big 12 includes people like Arizona, Iowa, BYU and even Kansas. He hasn't fallen off his perch at all in this sport.

The answer to why Houston hasn't gotten more attention lies in their schedule. Saturday's win was UH's second Quad 1 victory in 12 games, following a 73-72 loss on Nov. 16. Auburn in Birmingham, Alabama. The win over Arkansas also improves the Cougars to 7-1 in their last eight games in top-15 matchups.

That's exactly what Sampson's teams do. They win a lot more than they lose, and when they win, they hurt you and usually don't get you anywhere near your goal.

You might have forgotten it amid the incredible performances of November, but Houston's only loss came by three games at the Players Era in Vegas. I was there; Tennessee may not have his best game this season. And the Vols are clearly good quality. With that in mind, Houston's lone loss to a team that could be in the top four shouldn't knock them out of the conversation about who is elite in this amazing season.

Houston's adaptability on Saturday was also admirable. Arkansas came into the game averaging 89.9 points and was close, but Houston had no problem running the Athletics. The game featured 73 possessions, the most by Houston in regulation since the start of the 2024-25 season. I know Sampson hates it when another team scores over 80 points against his guys, but a win like this will serve Houston well over the next three months.

“The fact that they scored 85 points speaks to the talent of Arkansas,” Sampson said. “They are good enough to do it and thank God we were good enough to score 94.”

Houston's 94 points were the program's most against a first-ranked team in 15 years.

The Cougars stymied the upbeat Hogs, who entered the game ranked No. 2 in fast-break points with 22.7 on the night. There are only seven this evening, which is half a point more than Houston gives up per game.

“I think it was the first time we played in a zone since I was at Montana Tech,” Sampson said, following along with some jocularity. “We went 1-2-2, went back to 3-2, bought ourselves a ball. It’s never going to be our fastball, but it’s nice to know you have a curveball.”

Houston knew it would have its moments offensively — Arkansas allows 16 second-chance rebounds per game — and voila: The Cougars got 16 rebounds on the board after grabbing 12 offensive rebounds.

Regardless of which yardstick you want to use, Houston leads all teams in college basketball in total wins over the last five, six, seven, eight years. It's no wonder the Cougars are so formidable again. While they're not yet in the top five in efficiency, their DNA puts them in a deep pool of teams that includes undefeated ones like Arizona Michigan and Iowa State. Then the one-loss bullies are Houston, Duke, University of California, Connecticut, Gonzaga, PurdueMichigan State and North Carolina. (Undefeated Vanderbilt She may well be in this class, but she has yet to beat a top 30 team.)

Bringing back Sharpe, Uzan and Tagler with Final Four experience is a huge task. But Flemings' arrival changes the dynamic of the game. He's a slender lead guard who was ranked No. 20 in his high school class and has already surpassed that projection. He scores over 15 points, five assists and shoots nearly 60%.

Houston has always been good/great under Sampson. Always been tough. Always been an opportunist. Always had a swagger.

Kingston makes them dangerous. Uzan and Sharpe can make big shots, but Flemings is the guy who is the key to Houston being as good this season as they were last season, and the season before that, and the season before that.

But even more? He's talented enough to make Houston believe that a return to the national championship game should be an expectation, not a hope.

“How good can we be? I never think about it. I just know we can get better,” Sampson said.

This is Houston simply at its best. We know Houston when it's good, and this group has what it takes to be great. The most impressive personality trait of the Cougars is that they get stronger the more games they play. We're a third of the way through the college basketball season, and Houston may be at 60-70% of its potential. Keep an eye on these guys because they clearly have their eyes on the prize: Sampson is once again a national title contender.