NCAA Basketball: Ranking final 18 unbeaten teams for 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
4. Houston
The very trajectory of this Houston program increased by light years when Kelvin Sampson took it over nearly a decade ago, with the Cougars off to the Final Four in 2021 and a boatload of wins ever since. This year is special in Houston, as the Cougars being play in the Big 12, leaning heavily on faces both old and new like L. J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts.
They clearly haven’t yet faced the rigors of a Big 12 schedule, but the Cougars are certainly handling the games on their schedule. They’ve blown out four mid-majors at home and won three solid games to win the Charleston Classic. Their closest contest was a 10-point win that semifinal against Utah wile also dispatching Dayton that same weekend. It’s not the toughest seven game schedule but Houston has looked the part of an elite team and national contender.
Houston’s defense has allowed 55 points or fewer in every game except Utah, while the offense has done more than enough against these opponents. Friday’s game at Xavier is their first road test and will be an interesting indication of where the Cougars currently sit. They do still play Texas A&M in a few weeks and will very certainly not making it through conference play undefeated at the very least.