Houston Cougars’ guard L.J. Cryer (4) scans the court against the Baylor Bears during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball game on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
No. 3 Houston men’s basketball picked up its 10th road win of the season, securing a perfect road record in conference play, in the same town that graduate guard L.J. Cryer called home for three years, behind his 23 points and six triples.
It was exactly one week ago that UH clinched sole ownership of the Big 12 regular season title and a likely bid as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars have already etched their names in the history books, but throughout the week, players made it clear their work wasn’t finished.
With a 65-61 victory over Baylor, they reached another milestone, becoming the first team to post a 10-0 Big 12 road record and joining 2019-20 and 2001-02 Kansas as the only teams to go undefeated on the road in Big 12 play.
Houston also became the first major conference team ever to go 10-0 on the road in conference play in a season.
“Unbelievable. You’re not supposed to do that,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We just never stopped. This team. On the road, you’re never going to look good. It’s like when teams come to our gym. But there’s a winning DNA this program has had for a long time.”
Despite Houston’s dominant position in the standings, Baylor refused to go away without a fight.
Back-to-back triples from freshman guard V.J. Edgecombe and graduate guard Jalen Celestine trimmed the Cougars’ lead to three with 2:04 remaining in the game, after Baylor had trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half.
After Cryer and Edgecombe both converted a pair of free throws, graduate forward J’Wan Roberts stepped up to the stripe and delivered yet again in the clutch, going two-for-two at the line to seal the game.
“Going to the free throw line, I’m definitely confident in myself now,” Roberts said. “I have no worries. I try to blank out everything and just focus on me.”
Houston heavily depended on the hot hand from Cryer in the first half, as he accounted for 15 of the Cougars’ 26 first-half points despite the boos that commenced for the former Bear.
As such, he was the engine behind Houston’s 15-11 start to the ballgame, having already drained three 3-pointers by the 11:58 mark of the first half.
Four consecutive points from Edgecombe gave Baylor a 20-18 lead. It would not surrender for the remainder of the half, as Baylor’s defense continued to stifle any Houston player not named Cryer.
Neither team scored in the final 2:30 of the first half, with both Houston and Baylor shooting below 40% from the field in the frame.
Despite this, Houston only trailed 29-26 at intermission.
A 7-3 run out of the gates for Baylor handed Houston a 36-29 deficit, its largest of the game, leading to a quick time out.
The Cougars, touted for their ability to clean up missed shots on the offensive glass for second-chance points, didn’t get on the board in that regard until sophomore forward Joseph Tugler followed up his own miss for a layup, bringing Houston within one.
A bounce pass from graduate guard Mylik Wilson to senior forward Ja’Vier Francis on a baseline cut gave Houston a 42-41 lead, its first of the half, and as it turns out, a lead the Cougars would never look back from.
Cryer finished with a game-leading 23 points, shooting 6-9 from three and 6-12 from the field overall.
Roberts secured his third double-double of the season, and with his 10 rebounds, joined an exclusive list including Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Greg Anderson as the only Cougars to secure 1,000 rebounds in their career.
Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp scored all of his 11 points in the second half while also playing all 20 minutes.
Edgecombe looked every bit of a projected lottery pick, finishing with 23 points and displaying his two-way ability by racking up three steals and a block.
Houston finishes the regular season 27-4 and 19-1 in conference play, adding on to their Big 12 conference record win total.
The Cougars, now holding a historic four-game lead over second-place Texas Tech, will set their sights on the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
By being a top-four seed in the tournament, Houston earns a double-bye and will play the winner of TCU/Colorado vs. West Virginia in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 13, at 2:00 p.m.
