6. Houston Cougars - 17-4 (9-1 Big 12)
The Cougars entered the week as the last remaining unbeaten team in the Big 12, riding a 12-game win streak. And being on the road at West Virginia wasn’t going to stop them from extending it to 13, winning 63-49. The elite defense was on display again, holding the Mountaineers to just 19 first-half points.
LJ Cryer had 17 points to lead all scorers, while forward Joseph Tugler produced 12 points and seven rebounds. Houston’s next game was at home against Texas Tech, a game that got wild early on, as JT Toppin got ejected for a flagrant 2 foul, and head coach Grant McCasland got ejected for disagreeing with the call.
But Houston couldn’t take advantage of those losses for the Red Raiders. It was a game that needed OT, but the Cougars lost 82-81. Cryer had 22 points, along with 18 points and seven rebounds from J’Wan Roberts. That loss was the first in league play for the Cougars and puts both Texas Tech and Arizona within range for the regular-season title.
The next game for the Cougars is on the road, taking on the Colorado Buffaloes. They’re currently 0-9 in Big 12 play but have been playing better as of late. After that is a home matchup with the Baylor Bears, coming off an impressive comeback win over Kansas this weekend.