No. 6 Houston looks to stretch Big 12 winning streak against No. 12 Texas Tech

Houston was the nation’s preseason No. 2 team, had a brief stint at No. 1 and took a tumble to No. 8 following its lone loss.

The Cougars have kept winning since that three-point loss to Tennessee nearly two months ago, yet can’t seem to make up much ground in the AP Top 25.

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Coming off dominating wins over West Virginia and Arizona State, Houston only moved up one place to No. 7 — and that was largely because No. 9 Iowa State dropped seven places after its first two losses.

“They just try to beat you into submission and make you want to quit or be somewhere else,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said after his team’s 103-73 loss to the Cougars. “The intensity they play with is different than probably anything I’ve played against this year.”

Houston (17-1, 4-0 Big 12) will get another chance to show just how good it is at No. 12 Texas Tech in what could be one of the best conference games in any league this season.

The Cougars have been to the Final Four twice since 2021, including a trip to last year’s national title game, and have another loaded roster that continues to crush the will of opponents.

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Houston is second nationally in scoring defense, allowing 60.1 points per game, and is 10th in the KenPom defensive efficiency ratings. The Cougars’ 17-game Big 12 winning streak — regular season and conference tournament — is the fourth-longest in league history, three behind Kansas’ record set in 2016-17.

Houston will certainly be put to the test against the Red Raiders and preseason All-American JT Topping.

Texas Tech (14-4, 4-1) is 10-0 at home and moved up three places in the AP Top 25 after beating Utah and No. 13 BYU. Toppin has lived up to his billing as one of the nation’s top players, averaging 21.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, including 4.71 on the offensive glass, second nationally.

Vandy bounce back?

No. 15 Vanderbilt matched the best start in program history by winning its first 16 games.

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The Commodores’…

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Publish date : 2026-01-20 16:50:00

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