PROVO – The Marriott Center is one of the biggest stages in college basketball, perhaps the biggest west of Lubbock (Arizona fans will disagree). But in front of over 18,000 wild, loud BYU fans, the Houston freshmen did what they’ve done everywhere else.
They delivered.
Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac combined to shoot 15/30 for 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Snacks dominated in the first half, and Kingston took over in the second.
Both made winning plays when it was needed, as did Kalifa Sakho. Sakho has been improving greatly in the last few weeks, and Saturday was his coming-out party. In the second half, Kalifa had four crucial boards, and both of his offensive rebounds in the second half led to buckets.
Sakho was a liability early in the year, but Kelvin knew he needed those minutes and that film to improve. But like everything else in this program, he’s ascending in February.
UH was up four when he checked into the game with 7:45 left in the second half after JoJo Tugler picked up his fourth foul. Sakho delivered for over 5.5 minutes, scoring three and pulling down a few rebounds, and a couple of tip-outs that led to fresh shot clocks. In that critical stretch that Kalifa was in the game, BYU controlled the ball for just 1:16, and UH increased its lead to 7.
All three hosts of CATS! thought he was the game’s MVP:
20 Road Wins
Think about this: In 2.5 seasons in the Big 12, Houston is 43-5. They’ve lost one game each at five different arenas:
United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock (1-1)
Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence (1-1)
Hilton Coliseum in Ames (0-1)
Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth (1-1)
Fertitta Center in Houston (23-1)
That means Houston has 17 other road wins in this conference after beating BYU Saturday night. Among the four former Pac-12 schools, UH is 3-0 on the road (with Utah on Tuesday). Among the former American schools and BYU, who were added at the same time, UH is 6-0 on the road.
Here’s how road the top of the conference has been on the road:
| Team | Road W/L |
|---|---|
| Houston | 20-4 |
| Texas Tech | 14-9* |
| Iowa State | 12-12 |
| BYU | 11-13 |
| Kansas | 9-15 |
| Arizona | 11-4** |
Overall, Houston dominates overall record as well:
| Team | Overall W/L |
|---|---|
| Houston | 43-5 |
| Iowa State | 34-14 |
| Texas Tech | 32-15* |
| BYU | 29-19 |
| Kansas | 29-19 |
| Baylor 24-25 | |
| Arizona | 24-6** |
*Playing today. **Two seasons instead of three.
Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, Mylik Wilson, J’Wan Roberts, Ja’Vier Francis, JoJo Tuger, Kingston Flemings, Chris Cenac. The pieces change, but the results do not. It is simply ridiculous what Houston has done to the best league in college hoops.
Missed CATS! last night?
