The Cougars have two conference games left. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
No. 2 Kelvin Sampson
After a tumultuous week for the city of Houston and the entire state of Texas, the Houston Cougars were able to provide somewhat of a distraction to what Texans dubbed as the "snow-polcalypse".
The No. 6 ranked Cougars first game was on the road against Wichita State who had the 2nd best record in the American Athletic Conference.
This is the first time a top six ranked opponent played a game at Charles Koch Arena since 1992.
The game started off in favor of the Cougars as Wichita State couldn't get any kind of offensive momentum going. At one point Houston took a 12-0 run to go up 20-9.
Everything seemed to be going Houston's way and Tramon Mark and Marcus Sasser were the leading scorers during this run. Senior forward Fabian White Jr. made his season debut after recovering from offseason knee surgery. He made one 3-pointer and played 9 minutes, but it was good to see him back on the court.
The Shockers wouldn't give up without a fight. Wichita State made a 24-14 run of their own to cut their deficit to a one point game. The halftime score was 34-33.
The Shockers were able to ride their momentum into the second half and Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert each scored 16 points to bolster Wichita State's lead.
Houston tried to retaliate which small runs of their own, but they just could not sustain any kind of offensive rhythm.
DeJeon Jarreau led the Cougars with 16 points. Quentin Grimes added 13 points and Justin Gorham 10.
In the end the Cougars were beat at their own game. Wichita State switched up their defensive strategy after halftime and played shut down D in the paint, which forced Houston to take bade shots from behind the arc.
For the first time all season, Houston's opponent out rebounded them 35-33. That combined with Houston shooting an abysmal 33% (8-24) from three all but secured Houston's inevitable defeat.
Wichita State won the game 68-65 and all three of Houston's losses have come on the road.
Houston did keep it close towards the end of the contest when Grimes hit a three to make it a one point game. But, Wichita State's stingy defense was able to prevent the Cougars from scoring the rest of the game.
Justin Gotham was ejected with less than a minute left to go in the contest after her was charged with a flagrant-2 foul. His first ejection this season.
Tyson Etienne (who the Cougars had no answer for in the second half) put the game away when he hit two consecutive free throws to secure a Wichita State victory.
This victory propelled the Shockers to first place in the AAC.
You could say the Shockers shocked the Cougars… (I'm sorry I couldn't resist).
This past week wasn't a total loss for Houston, for they had one of their most impressive wins of the season Sunday.
Cincinnati came to town riding a four game winning streak and looked to kick the Cougars while they were down. They were in for rude awakening.
The game started off in favor of the Bearcats for they made their first four field goal attempts (three of which were 3-pointers).
Houston may have stumbled out of the gate, but it took them no time at all to come back and take control of the game.
DeJon Jarreau had a steal early on that he converted into a quick bucket that shifted the momentum in favor of the Cougars.
Houston didn't look back once they took an early lead. They outscored the Bearcats 32-7 over the final 11 minutes of the first half to take a 50-26 lead at the break. DeJon Jarreau scored nine points and Tramon Mark had nine points during this first half run.
The Cougars shot 9 for 18 from the field which was much better than their previous performance and hit 13 of 13 from the free-throw line during their run. Cincinnati on the other hand was 2 of 15 from the field and did not have a field goal for the final 5 minutes of the half.
The second half was much of the same as the game turned into a contest of backups and reserves with 10 minutes left to go.
Houston trounced Cincinnati 90-42 and this was the Bearcats' worst loss since they lost to Notre Dame in 2011.
This was the second time Houston has hit or gone above the 90 point threshold. The first time they surpassed this mark was when they crushed Our Lady of the Lake 112-46
This was a statement game to say the least and Houston has now won 22 consecutive home games.
Rankings Update: Houston fell six spots from 6th to 12th in the AP Rankings Monday.
Up Next: The Cougars have two conference games left against USF and Memphis, but they did add Western Kentucky on Thursday. Baring anymore schedule changes, these will be the final tuneup games before the AAC tournament starts on March 11th.
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After dropping a frustrating series to the Chicago White Sox, the Houston Astros find themselves in a familiar position—searching for answers, but still within striking distance. Despite their inconsistency, Houston sits just three games behind the AL West-leading Mariners, who are currently 7 games over .500 and riding an 8-2 stretch. For as up-and-down as the Astros have been, the division remains tantalizingly close.
That inconsistency was on full display throughout the White Sox series. Jake Meyers and Zach Dezenzo each played the roles of both hero and heartbreaker. Dezenzo launched a massive home run in Game 3, a moment that energized the dugout and briefly shifted momentum. But his costly defensive error later in the game flipped the script. Meyers was a spark plug in Houston’s lone win, delivering a clutch performance at the plate, only to run the team out of a rally in the finale when he was picked off second—right before Jeremy Peña ripped what would have been an RBI single.
Jose Altuve’s struggles are quietly becoming more worrisome. He’s recorded just one multi-hit game since April 19 and has only one homer since April 8. On Sunday, he swung at the first pitch after Lance McCullers had grinded through a 33-pitch inning—a decision that raised questions about his awareness in a veteran moment. Should manager Joe Espada have reminded Altuve of the situation? Or is this on Altuve, who should have known what to do as one of the team leaders?
Signs of life
There are flickers of life from the bats. Last week, Houston's team OPS was an underwhelming .667 (23rd in MLB), with a slugging percentage of .357 (25th). They've nudged those numbers up to .684 (19th) and .370 (21st), respectively. It’s modest progress, but enough to suggest this offense might be trending in the right direction. Still, their 5-5 record over the last 10 games feels emblematic of who they are right now—a .500 team with both talent and flaws.
Looking ahead
The upcoming schedule could be a turning point. Three of the next five opponents have losing records, and none of them are elite. This stretch offers a prime opportunity for Houston to finally build momentum and close the gap in the division—assuming the Mariners cool off from their current tear, which seems inevitable given their unsustainable 8-2 pace.
McCullers is officially back!
Lance McCullers returned for the first time since 2022 and, despite being limited to 3.2 innings due to command issues (three walks and a hit batter), there were encouraging signs. His velocity was there, and the stuff looked sharp. It’s a start, and perhaps a step toward stabilizing a rotation that still needs length.
Steering the ship
Manager Joe Espada, however, continues to draw scrutiny. His decision-making in the finale raised eyebrows again. Giving Isaac Paredes a day off when Yordan Alvarez was already sitting left the lineup depleted. Rather than using promising young infielder/outfielder Cam Smith, he opted for Mauricio Dubón and Brendan Rodgers—a defensive combo that didn't inspire confidence. It feels at times like Espada isn’t prioritizing winning the final game of a series, a pattern that could haunt the team down the stretch.
The plot thickens
Meanwhile, Christian Walker’s slump is dragging on. He went 0-for-5 twice in the last two series and looks out of sync at the plate. The Astros need more from their power hitters if they hope to make a real run. And with Alvarez now heading to the IL with hand inflammation, runs will be even harder to come by.
All told, this team still feels like one hovering just above or below .500. But in a division that remains wide open, the path forward is clear: play better, hope the Mariners come back to earth, and capitalize on a soft schedule. The race is far from over—but it’s time for Houston to start acting like contenders.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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