Kelvin Sampson loves beating BYU . He's done it four times in the past three years without losing once.
But Houston's head coach has plenty of respect for Kevin Young's Cougars, which he made clear after his team's 77-66 conquest Saturday night in Provo.
"BYU is not an easy team to play against, especially in this building. You know, they've got something special here," Sampson told reporters after the game.
"Unbelievable student group. It's our second time playing them here, and the crowd is one of the best home court advantages, I think, in the country. Obviously, we play a lot of places, and this is tough as it comes, which is why I'm really proud of our group.
"... BYU, outstanding players, outstanding coaching staff, outstanding home court advantage. So it's a good win for us."
Despite the loss, BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa scored 28 points on 9 of 14 shooting, adding five rebounds and four assists as well.
"The Dybantsa kid is special. You're not going to stop him. I mean, that question should never be asked of any coach, 'How do you stop him?' I don't know how. We just made him earn the shots he got, and he made some tough ones," Sampson said.
Richie Saunders , however, struggled mightily against Houston's famed defense, finishing the night with a meager seven points on 1 of 8 shooting.
"I thought we did an awesome job on Saunders," Sampson said. "... We didn't want Saunders getting to the rim. We didn't want him getting to the free throw line. We loaded and took away his driving lanes pretty good."
With the win, Houston moves to 21-2 on the season and 9-1 in Big 12 play, continuing its pursuit of another conference championship and No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
"We've always been able to stay true to our culture and how we do things on the road. I think that's a byproduct of how we practice and prepare.
"... All our kids graduate, you know, it starts there. They're all going to be college graduates, except the ones that will go to the NBA early. They're all high character kids, and that's why my job is easy, because I don't have to deal with any discipline problems. That's a blessing. In this day and age, it's a blessing to have high character kids."
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dives on a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dunks during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
The Houston Cougars celebrate during a stoppage after scoring during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson argues with a referee during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU head coach Kevin Young reacts to a basket by the Houston Cougars during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU fans react to a call during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU center Abdullah Ahmed (34) dunks against Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) looks on as he waits for the ball to be inbounded during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) grabs a rebound over Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) is fouled by Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) as he drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) is fouled by Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) as he drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU center Keba Keita (13) reacts to a call during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) drives to the basket against Houston Cougars guard Ramon Walker Jr. (3) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Fans celebrate a BYU three-pointer during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) drives to the basket against Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) blocks a shot by Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU center Abdullah Ahmed (34) dunks the ball during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) drives to the basket against Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) celebrates making a three-pointer during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson looks on during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) sets the play during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU center Abdullah Ahmed (34) has his shot blocked by Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives to the basket against Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) is fouled as he drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) looks to pass the ball as he falls during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots a 3-pointer during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. (5) celebrates making a 3-pointer during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
