Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

No. 7 Houston snags huge conference win over No. 14 Texas Tech

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jan 7, 2026 12:11 AM ET

The No. 7 Houston Cougars (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) kept rolling on Tuesday, grabbing a marquee win over No. 14 Texas Tech (11-4, 1-1 Big 12).

In a contest that was tight throughout and tied at 31-31 at halftime, the Cougars had just enough gas in the tank late to escape with a 69-65 victory.

Tuesday's win was a balanced effort for Houston, with Kingston Flemings leading UH in scoring with 23 points.

Three other Cougars got into double figures — Emanuel Sharp (17 points), Chris Cenac Jr. (11 points) and Joseph Tugler (11 points).

KINGSTON. FLEMINGS.

FS1 | @K1ngFlemings pic.twitter.com/nbqMGC4oAr
— Houston Men's Hoops (@UHCougarMBK) January 7, 2026

The free-throw line ended up being the difference in the game, as Houston made 17 of 22 free throws to Texas Tech's 10-11 mark from the charity stripe.

Houston appears to be a juggernaut once more

Kelvin Sampson doesn't need to prove much more as the head coach at Houston, but he's already put together another nice resume so far this season that's only bolstered by Tuesday's victory.

The Cougars have three very winnable games ahead of them against Baylor, West Virginia and Arizona State before they meet Texas Tech on Jan. 24 in Lubbock in what will be another huge matchup.

The Cougars are rolling down the track, and there's not much that appears to be standing in their way.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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