HOUSTON DEFEATS KANSAS

No. 7 Houston downs No. 12 Kansas 92-86 in double OT

Houston Cougars Kelvin Sampson
Another win for the Coogs! Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

J’Wan Roberts scored 24 points, including six in two overtime periods, and No. 7 Houston beat No. 12 Kansas 92-86 on Saturday night.

Roberts hit two free throws with 13.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. At the end of the first overtime, Houston (16-3, 8-0 Big 12) got back-to-back 3-pointers from Emanuel Sharp and Mylik Wilson to send it to the second overtime.

The Cougars got 18 from Mylik Wilson and 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists from Milos Uzan.

Kansas (14-5, 5-3) was led by Flory Bidunga with 19 points and Hunter Dickinson with 17.

Takeaway

Houston: Injuries hampered the Cougars. Emanuel Sharp, who missed Houston's last game against Utah with an injury, played 25 minutes but scored just eight points. Ja'Vier Francis rolled his ankle early in the first half and played only 3:45. He finished with four points.

Kansas: Bidunga, after scoring just two points on a last-second tipin in the first half, scored 17 in the second half and overtime for a career-high 19. With K.J. Adams out with a separated shoulder, Bidunga's contributions helped Kansas against a strong Houston front line.

Key moment

Houston used a 13-0 run early in the second half to turn a 40-31 deficit into a lead. Kansas went 6:21 without a point, and missed eight straight shots during the run, including a missed breakaway dunk attempt by Shakeel Moore.

Key stat

Both teams missed plenty of opportunities. The teams combined to shoot 56% from the free-throw line. Houston missed its first eight free throws of the second half and finished the half just 4 of 13 from the line, and was 14 of 25 for the game.

The Jayhawks were 17 of 30 from the line.

Up next

Houston travels to West Virginia on Wednesday night and Kansas hosts UCF on Tuesday night.

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Welcome to Houston, Nick! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.

The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.

For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.

“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”

As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.

Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.

He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.

Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.

It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.

You can watch the full interview in the video below.

And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.


*ChatGPT assisted.

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