Houston didn't get off to the best of starts in the Big 12 this season. It would be silly to suggest otherwise. The 1-2 record was the 1-2 record. But I always assumed, and the Top 25 And 1 always reflected as much, that the 1-2 start was a byproduct of the challenging schedule more than a reflection of the quality of Kelvin Sampson's basketball team, and the Cougars have spent the past eight days doing things to suggest that assumption was correct.
They won again Tuesday.
Final score: Houston 75, BYU 68.
The Cougars, on the road, made 10 3-pointers and got a game-high 23 points from L.J. Cryer, who was 5 of 9 from 3-point range. They're now 17-2 overall, 4-2 in the Big 12 and on a three-game winning streak after losing back-to-back contests at Iowa State and at TCU.
"I played bad in both of those games, so I knew in order for us to win on the road, I was going to have to step up, other guys were going to have to step up, and I feel like that's what we did," Cryer said.
As noted above, Houston's 1-2 start in the Big 12 included losses at Iowa State and TCU. Nobody likes to lose two straight, obviously. But those were both Q1 losses on the road to teams ranked in the top 40 of the NET. Big picture, they barely hurt, if at all. That's among the reasons the Cougars' computer numbers have remained strong, and why Houston is still fifth in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 14th consecutive day.
Next up for Houston is Saturday's home game with Kansas State. After that, the Cougars will play at Texas next Monday, then at Kansas on the first Saturday of February.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Lance Jones finished with 24 points and three steals in Tuesday's 99-67 win over Michigan. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Rutgers. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Tristen Newton finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 66-65 win at Villanova. The Huskies' next game is Jan. 28 against Xavier. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | RJ Davis finished with 36 points and four rebounds in Monday's 85-64 win over Wake Forest. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Florida State. | -- | 29-8 |
| 4 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 91-71 win over Alabama. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 27-9 |
| 5 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 75-68 at BYU. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Kansas State. | -- | 32-5 |
| 6 |  | Pelle Larsson finished with 22 points and four assists in Saturday's 77-71 win over UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 7 |  | Johni Broome finished with 13 points and three steals in Saturday's 82-59 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Alabama. | -- | 27-8 |
| 8 |  | Tyler Wahl finished with 16 points and four assists in Tuesday's 61-59 win at Minnesota. The Badgers' next game is Friday against Michigan State. | -- | 22-14 |
| 9 |  | Johnny Furphy finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 74-69 win over Cincinnati. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Iowa State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 10 |  | Da'Ron Holmes finished with 22 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday's 66-54 win at La Salle. The Flyers' next game is Saturday at Richmond. | 2 | 25-8 |
| 11 |  | Baylor let the Longhorns shoot 51.9% from the field in Saturday's 75-73 loss at Texas. The Bears' next game is Saturday against TCU. | 2 | 24-11 |
| 12 |  | Keshon Gilbert finished with 20 points and four assists in Saturday's 73-72 win at TCU. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Kansas State. | 2 | 29-8 |
| 13 |  | Great Osobor finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 83-62 win over Fresno State. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Boise State. | 2 | 28-7 |
| 14 |  | Kyle Filipowski finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds in Tuesday's 83-69 win at Louisville. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Clemson. | 2 | 27-9 |
| 15 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 15 points and 11 assists in Saturday's 73-72 win at St. John's. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday at DePaul. | 2 | 27-10 |
| 16 |  | Nique Clifford finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 78-75 win over UNLV. The Rams' next game is Wednesday at Nevada. | 2 | 25-11 |
| 17 |  | Trey Alexander finished with 27 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 85-78 win over Xavier. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against DePaul. | 2 | 25-10 |
| 18 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 85-78 win over BYU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | 2 | 23-11 |
| 19 |  | D.J. Wagner was 2 of 10 from the field in Tuesday's 79-62 loss at South Carolina. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Arkansas. | 9 | 23-10 |
| 20 |  | Javian McCollum was 3 of 11 from the field in Tuesday's 75-60 loss to Texas. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | 9 | 20-12 |
| 21 |  | Quincy Guerrier finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's 86-63 win over Rutgers. The Illini's next game is Wednesday at Northwestern. | -- | 29-9 |
| 22 |  | JT Toppin finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 85-66 win at Air Force. The Lobos' next game is Wednesday at San Jose State. | 1 | 26-10 |
| 23 |  | Deivon Smith finished with 24 points and nine assists in Sunday's 80-77 win over Oregon. The Utes' next game is Wednesday at Washington State. | 1 | 22-15 |
| 24 |  | Jaxson Robinson was 4 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 75-68 loss to Houston. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Texas. | 2 | 23-11 |
| 25 |  | Kadary Richmond needed 32 shots to score 21 points in Saturday's 97-94 loss to Creighton. The Pirates' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | -- | 25-12 |
| 26 |  | Lamont Butler finished with 23 points and four assists in Tuesday's 81-65 win over Wyoming. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday at Colorado State. | -- | 26-11 |
