Freshmen Flemings, Cenac lead No. 8 Houston past No. 16 BYU in Provo

In one of the loudest and most frenetic environments No. 8 Houston men’s basketball will face all season, it was a pair of freshmen who helped pave the way to a 77-66 win over No. 16 BYU in Provo, Utah, at a sold-out Marriott Center.

Guard Kingston Flemings and forward Chris Cenac Jr., two pillars of a 2025-26 freshman class widely regarded as among the most talented in recent memory, combined for 35 points on Saturday, passing one of their biggest road tests so far.

“How good are these freshmen? They are mature beyond their years,” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said during the broadcast. 

Part of what has molded that maturity is the adversity they’ve endured.

In the second half, Houston saw flashes of adversity when Cenac was sent to the bench for two-and-a-half minutes after picking up a third foul early in the frame. Soon after, Flemings briefly checked out of the game with a rolled ankle, returning less than a minute later when freshman guard Isiah Harwell suffered what appeared to be a similar injury and hobbled to the bench. 

Flemings found his rhythm when Houston needed it most, after going 3-for-9 in the first half. 

He was the Cougars’ only double-digit scorer over the final 20 minutes of the game, finishing with 11 second-half points by converting midrange jumpshots and attacking the basket, which led to several fouls drawn.

Late in the game, coach Kelvin Sampson challenged Flemings to not settle for open 3-pointers, and instead “get downhill.”

Sampson asked him if he realized how open he was from beyond the arc. 

When Flemings said he did, Sampson reminded him it wasn’t an accident, and that he had to choose between the shots BYU wanted him to take, or the ones Houston wanted.

“He stopped shooting threes, and we focused on getting downhill,” Sampson said. “To win on the road, you’ve got to play with high basketball IQ. You’ve got to understand the importance of discipline, get the ball to the right people, the right time, at the right spots.”

Cenac, who had a strong half of his own in the first, led Houston with 12 points at intermission on 5-for-8 shooting, and added four more to his point total after halftime.

One of those, a second-chance midrange basket with 5:28 remaining, was part of a crucial rebounding stretch that saw Houston snag five offensive rebounds in the span of three minutes.

Their performance came against a standout night from another highly-touted freshman in BYU’s forward AJ Dybantsa, who poured in a game-high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 12 free throw attempts, adding to his nation-leading scoring averages.

“The Dybantsa kid is special. You’re not going to stop him. That question should never be asked of any coach,” Sampson said. “We just made him earn the shots he got, and he made some tough ones.”

Beyond the freshman performances, Houston’s veteran frontcourt helped steady the game in the second half, in part due to graduate forward Kalifa Sakho, who is still rounding into form after missing much of the pre-season ramp-up with injury.

On multiple occasions, Sampson has considered January and February to be Sakho’s versions of October due to the developmental time he missed.

Sakho finished with seven points for the second consecutive game, but just as important were the four second-half rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.

“As Kalifa improves, he gives us the ability to not have any drop-off when JoJo (Tugler) comes off the floor,” Sampson said. “I thought our two fives tonight played their role, did their job, especially well.”

He added that the team’s performance in Provo was another reminder of how the program prepares for such occasions away from home.

“The students, the crowd, is one of the best home court advantages in the country,” he said. “Which is why I’m really proud of our group. We stayed true to who we are on the road.”

With the win, the Cougars improve to 21-2 and 9-1 against Big 12 competition, keeping them just behind No. 1 Arizona which boasts a 10-0 mark in conference play.

Houston will continue the second leg of its Utah trip, as it will take on the Utah Utes at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m.