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Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson during a practice session for the Final Four. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Where Houston Cougars Basketball Ranks in Preseason Top 25

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI
By Ylver Deleon-Rios | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 10:01 AM ET

The 2025-2026 college basketball season is quickly approaching, and once again, Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson and another talented Cougar roster should be widely considered one of the top national championship contenders heading into the season.

Houston's expectations should not come as a surprise to many, as the Cougars return a trio of impact players in guards Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan and forward Joseph Tugler, who were a part of the Cougars team that went 35-5 and finished as runners-up in the NCAA Tournament. Paired with elite young talent featuring three five-star freshmen from the 2025 class.

The weight of expectations headed into the season cannot be clearer after The Field of 68 released its college basketball Preseason Top 25 on Monday, which had the Cougars ranked No. 2 in the nation, only behind the Big Ten powerhouse, the Purdue Boilermakers.

NEW: College Basketball Preseason Top 25 via @TheFieldOf68

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— On3 (@On3sports) September 15, 2025

How Many Preseason Ranked Teams Will the Cougars Face in the Big 12?

Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Incuding the Cougars, the Big 12 has six teams rankes in the Top-25 per The Field of 68's preseaosn rankings, oustisdie of Houston being the onyl one ranked in the top-5, two promanges are ranked in the top-25 will the other three reside comfinrnable in the top-20 of the list.

The other Big 12 teams that found themselves ranked are the Texas Tech Red Raiders at No. 9, the BYU Cougars at No. 11, the Kansas Jayhawks at No. 16, the Arizona Wildcats at No. 17 and the Iowa State Cyclones at No. 18.

Houston will take on every single one of those teams in the regular season, hosting Arizona, road trips to BYU, Iowa State and Kansas, while the Cougars will face Texas Tech in a home-and-away series during the 2025-26 season.

The biggest matchup of the bunch would pin together No. 2 against No. 9 in one of the biggest games not just in controlling the Big 12, but could cement either program as one of the teams to beat in the country.

Last year, the two teams split the home-and-away series, with both of them winning on their home floors, both of which were close games. Texas Tech won at home by one point in overtime, and Houston won their home stand by eight points.

The next highest-ranked matchup for Houston will be their road trip to take on BYU in the Marriott Center. The Cougars in navy and white feature elite five-star freshman forward AJ Dybantsa. The six-foot-nine forward out of Utah Prep was the No. 1-ranked player in the entire 2025 class per 247Sports, listed as the top player at his position and out of the state of Utah.

The Cougars in scarlet and white have a top freshman of their own in forward Chris Cenac Jr., who, just like Dybantsa, was a five-star prospect in the 2025 class. Cenac was the No. 7-ranked player in the class, and he No. 1 player out of Missouri. Both highly-rated freshmen could be impact players for their squad in 2025 and could be one of the deciding factors when the teams match up.

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

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