Houston Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Cougars
Schedule Outlook
Nov. 6 – ULM
Nov. 11– Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
Nov. 13 – Stetson
Nov. 16-19 – Towson (Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic)
Nov. 24 – Montana
Dec. 1 – @Xavier (Big East-Big 12 Battle)
Dec. 6 – Rice
Dec. 9 – Jackson State
Dec. 16 – Texas A&M (The Halal Guys Showcase)
Dec. 21 – Texas State
Dec. 30 – Penn
Jan. 6-Mar. 9 – Big 12 Conference Play
March 12-16 – Big 12 Conference Tournament
The Houston Cougars non-conference schedule isn’t the strongest, though they’ll face a few Power 6 foes before Big 12 play begins. They’ll open the season with three confidence builders and the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic boasts a field of Utah/Wake Forest, Dayton/LSU and St. John’s/North Texas outside of their opening round meeting with Towson. The championship game could pose a potential challenge but they could find themselves undefeated heading into December.
Their next big test following the Charleston Classic will be on the first day of December when they face Xavier in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. It’ll be the Cougars’ lone true road game on the non-conference slate as they face a rebuilding Musketeers squad. It will the team’s first meeting since 1977 back when they defeated Xavier 100-75 in 1977. Houston holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series history.
After facing Rice (Dec. 6) and Jackson State (Dec. 9), the Cougars will face another defensive juggernaut in the Texas A&M Aggies. Don’t be surprised if this one comes down to the wire in a game between two potential NCAA Tournament teams. The Cougars have lost the last three meetings including their most recent meeting in 2013, 74-57. That’s a streak they’ll look to snap this season against the Aggies. The overall series record between the teams is 1-3 with Houston holding just one victory back in 2003 in their first-ever meeting.
Texas State could pose an interesting challenge as they’re always a competitive non-conference foe, but after them, the Cougars can use Penn to prepare for conference action. It will be a gauntlet for Houston to navigate but given their defensive pedigree, look for them to finish in the Top 5 of the conference standings by season’s end.