The Big 12 started playing games in 1996. It's been around a while. And yet only once in history before Wednesday had a Big 12 team ever held another Big 12 team to as little as 36 points in the regular season.
But then Houston did it.
Final score: Houston 70, Utah 36.
Houston limited Utah to just 13 baskets on 43 field goal attempts (30.2%) and turned Craig Smith's team over 26 times. The Cougars led by as many as 37 points and never trailed. So the Cougars easily improved to 15-3, including 7-0 in the Big 12, while moving up to No. 17 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Auburn remains No. 1 for the 16th consecutive day.
Now I know what you're thinking (especially if you're a Houston fan): "How can the Cougars be 15-3 overall, 7-0 in the Big 12 and only ranked 17th in the Top 25 And 1?"
Fair question.
The answer lies in Quadrant 1, where Houston still has zero victories despite sitting at third in the NET. Among the teams that currently have more Q1 victories than Houston: Columbia, Central Michigan, Seattle, North Dakota State and Arkansas State.
In fairness, the Cougars have only had three Q1 opportunities -- Auburn leads the nation with 11 -- but Houston's next three games are all Q1 opportunities, so this issue could be resolved soon and quickly rendered untrue. But it is true now, and that's the best explanation for why Houston is 17th in the Top 25 And 1 and only a No. 5 seed in Jerry Palm's latest projected bracket for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
As for Houston's next three games, they are at Kansas (Saturday), at West Virginia (Wednesday) and against Texas Tech at home (Feb. 1). Again, each of those contests currently project as Q1 opportunities. And, according to KenPom.com, the Cougars currently project as favorites in each of those contests.
So Houston's résumé could get a big boost soon. If it does, and I suspect it will, I'll adjust accordingly.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 24 points and two steals in Saturday's 70-68 win at Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 22-2 |
| 2 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-63 win at Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | -- | 21-3 |
| 3 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 30 points and four steals in Tuesday's 108-83 win over UCF. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. | -- | 19-5 |
| 4 |  | Mark Sears finished with 21 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 103-87 win over Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 21-3 |
| 5 |  | Will Richard finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 70-69 win at South Carolina. The Gators' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 21-3 |
| 6 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 23 points and two steals in Tuesday's 68-56 win over Mississippi State. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 20-5 |
| 7 |  | Andrew Carr was 1 of 4 from the field in Saturday's 102-97 loss to Alabama. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 17-7 |
| 8 |  | Kam Jones finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 76-59 win at Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against Villanova. | -- | 19-6 |
| 9 |  | Tre Holloman finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Sunday's 80-78 win over Illinois. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 19-5 |
| 10 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 74-61 win at TCU. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 17-7 |
| 11 |  | TJ Bamba finished with 21 points and four steals in Tuesday's 82-71 win over Washington. The Ducks' next game is Saturday at Minnesota. | -- | 17-8 |
| 12 |  | Riley Kugel was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 68-56 loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | -- | 17-7 |
| 13 |  | Braden Smith was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 73-70 loss to Ohio State. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Michigan. | -- | 19-6 |
| 14 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 63-62 win at Ole Miss. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Texas. | 2 | 19-5 |
| 15 |  | Kasparas Jakucionis was 1 of 3 from the field in Sunday's 80-78 loss at Michigan State. The Illini's next game is Thursday against Maryland. | -- | 17-8 |
| 16 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 77-68 win at Charlotte. The Tigers' next game is Thursday against Wichita State. | 1 | 21-4 |
| 17 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 14 points and five assists in Wednesday's 70-36 win over Utah. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | 1 | 20-4 |
| 18 |  | Davon Barnes was 1 of 7 from the field in Wednesday's 63-62 loss to Texas A&M. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | 4 | 19-6 |
| 19 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 80-76 overtime win over Northwestern. The Wolverines' next game is Friday at Purdue. | -- | 19-5 |
| 20 |  | Solo Ball finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 80-78 overtime win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Xavier. | -- | 17-7 |
| 21 |  | John Blackwell committed four turnovers before fouling out in Tuesday's 85-83 loss at UCLA. The Badgers' next game is Sunday against Nebraska. | -- | 19-5 |
| 22 |  | Mark Mitchell was 1 of 7 from the field in Tuesday's 61-53 loss at Texas. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | -- | 18-6 |
| 23 |  | Kadary Richmond finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 79-71 win over Xavier. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday at Georgetown. | 1 | 21-4 |
| 24 |  | Reyne Smith finished with 30 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 98-73 win at SMU. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday against Wake Forest. | 1 | 19-6 |
| 25 |  | JT Toppin finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 81-71 win at Cincinnati. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday against Oklahoma State. | 1 | 19-5 |
| 26 |  | Chase Hunter finished with 23 points and three steals in Wednesday's 86-72 win over Syracuse. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | NR | 20-5 |
