5. Houston (23-4)
You can count on one hand the number of teams in the same or better position than Houston entering play this week. The Cougars have won a boatload of impressive games this season and put themselves at the top of the Big 12 standings once again. Kelvin Sampson’s team has been a real menace since joining the league a few seasons ago and shows no signs of slowing down.
This week wasn’t their week, beginning with a tough 70-67 road loss at Iowa State on Monday night. Elite teams have been humbled in Ames though the Cougars kept it close and had chances thanks to 22 points from freshman Kingston Flemings. The problems compounded into Saturday, as the Cougars fell in a Top 5 clash losing 73-66 at home to Arizona. Flemings had 17 points and 8 rebounds while fellow freshman Chris Cenac Jr. had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Houston couldn’t get over the hump earlier in the week and didn’t make the necessary shots to win against Arizona later on. With that being said, those two tough endings don’t undermine what this team has accomplished. This is a speed bump for a team that still boasts one of the best freshmen duos in the country and an elite defense. They’ll look to make a statement at Kansas on Monday before three relatively easy games to finish the regular season.