Dec 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Mercy Miller (25) reacts with guard Ramon Walker Jr. (3) after scoring a basket during the second half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Easiest Games Left On Houston’s Basketball Schedule

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI
By Kolton Becker | Last updated Jan 9, 2026 1:01 PM ET

There are always possibilities of trap games.

Looking at the Houston Cougars basketball schedule, there are games that appear to fall on the easier side of the chart and ones that are on the harder side.

For a roster that is coached by Kelvin Sampson, there are a ton of opportunities to add these wins against teams that, so far, are not playing their best basketball. Those schools could still be considered fantastic resume builders, even if they don't go down as Quadrant 1 wins.

This season, the Cougars have made a statement to the rest of college basketball that they are going to remain an aggressive team that fights in every game and can avoid those trap games, even when there are highs and lows.

So, which games on the slate of games should be wins for the program, despite seven teams being ranked in the top 25?

Kansas State

Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Sitting at 9-6 overall, the Wildcats haven't jumped out to the start the school was hoping for, with a 4-game losing streak from mid-November to early December against Nebraska, Indiana, Bowling Green and Seton Hall.

Those programs would have been phenomenal wins to put on the resume, because when Selection Sunday comes, the committee would have noticed, but instead, it will go against them. Despite having five players averaging double digits in each game, mistakes have really come back to hurt them, as the defense hasn’t been able to close out games and has also committed costly turnovers.

K-State was averaging 86.8 points and 37.4 rebounds per game. From the field, they were shooting 47.6 percent, with the 3-ball at 38.5 percent. At the charity stripe, coach Jerome’s team was also only going 72.6 percent, so with all that combined with Houston, signs point toward a win at home for the home team in this one.

Utah

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In the Big 12, the Utes are already 0-2 with an 8-7 overall record. There has only been one decent, quality win for this team that came against coach Chris Beard’s Ole Miss program. Other than that, there haven’t been over-the-top moments that jump out.

Under the direction of coach Alex Jensen, the team has already experienced losses against Cal Poly, Grand Canyon, California, Mississippi State, Washington and Arizona. In order to have a chance against teams that had multiple years of runs in the NCAA Tournament, a team has to win those big games, and this squad hasn’t shown that yet against a few of the best teams they’ll play.

Right now, Utah is averaging only 80.3 points per game and 35.6 rebounds. Offensively, shooting the ball has been alright, where they are going 46.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from downtown. Those numbers don’t equal a bad offense, but to beat the Cougars, you have to increase those numbers and find a way to create pressure, and the defense is not doing that.

This article first appeared on Houston Cougars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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