Houston basketball’s 2026-27 slate is loaded with heavyweight tests, from first-time meetings to rematches with familiar foes, and both the men’s and women’s schedules leave little room to ease into the year.
For the women, the run begins with an exhibition against Division II Eastern New Mexico, a matchup that marks the first meeting in program history for both sides. The season opener brings another fresh opponent, with Houston set to face Hampton in another first-time clash.
The Cougars’ nonconference stretch also includes a six-game Texas home stand that brings in Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Houston Christian and Texas Southern, none of whom Houston has played since 2023.
That stretch ends with Rice, a team the Cougars have dropped two straight to. The toughest nonconference challenge on the women’s side comes Dec. 13 against LSU at Toyota Center, where the Tigers arrive after reaching the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons.
Big 12 play starts Dec. 21 at Fertitta Center against Baylor, which finished third in the league last season. The conference schedule also sends West Virginia to Houston on Jan. 6, with the Lady Mountaineers coming off a Big 12 tournament title after upsetting regular-season champion TCU.
Houston also gets TCU twice, visiting Fort Worth on Feb. 7 before hosting the Horned Frogs on Feb. 20.
The women’s road trip to Texas Tech comes Feb. 17 in Lubbock. The Lady Red Raiders were ranked as high as No. 16 in last year’s AP poll.
Cincinnati shows up twice as well, with meetings on Jan. 9 and Feb. 23, the latter serving as Houston’s final home game of the season. That matchup matters in its own way too: Cincinnati was Houston’s only Big 12 win at home last season.
The Cougars close the regular season Feb. 27 on the road at UCF.
The men’s schedule carries the same kind of punch, starting with a headline exhibition against Michigan on Oct. 25. The Wolverines won the national championship last year, and Houston’s only previous meeting with them came in the 2017-18 season, when Michigan edged the Cougars 64-63.
After that, Houston works through games against La Salle, Jackson State and Rutgers before heading into the Players Era 8 Tournament on Nov. 17 in Las Vegas. The Cougars open with Rutgers, then get either Florida or Notre Dame on Nov. 18, and finish the event on Nov. 19 against the winner of the UNLV/Auburn/West Virginia/Kansas group.
December brings another marquee matchup in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, where Houston faces Alabama on Dec. 8.
The Cougars are 0-3 against the Crimson Tide, who beat them 85-80 the last time they met in 2024-25. Five days later, Houston takes on LSU at Toyota Center.
The series is tied 5-5, and the Cougars won the last meeting 82-76 in 2018. The final major nonconference test comes against Florida State in Jacksonville, where Houston owns the only meeting between the teams, an 82-67 win in 2025.
Conference play opens in 2027 with Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State on the docket. Texas Tech is another major piece of the Big 12 schedule, with the Cougars and Red Raiders tied 5-5 all-time and set to meet on Jan. 19 and Feb. 15 after splitting last season’s matchups. Houston also gets Arizona twice, visiting the reigning Big 12 champions on Feb. 6 before closing the regular season against them again on March 6.
Between the men’s and women’s schedules, Houston is staring at a year full of ranked opponents, high-profile venues and chances to answer back against teams that got the better of them before.
In Other News...
Houston Dealing With Serious Off Field Trouble After Player Suspension
Houstons defense is dealing with an off-field issue that quickly turned serious this week. Defensive lineman Carmello Brooks was arrested and charged with assault on a pregnant individual, according to Harris County court records, and the team responded by suspending him while also keeping him home for a recent game.
Brooks has since posted bond and is scheduled to appear in court on September 21, leaving the Cougars to navigate the football fallout as the legal process moves forward. For a program trying to keep its focus on the season, the situation adds another layer of uncertainty around a defensive front that now has to move on without one of its players. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Still Has A Path But One Concern Just Got Louder
Houstons 28-26 loss to No. 11 Texas Tech did not knock the Cougars out of the AP Top 25, and the No. 25 ranking keeps their season very much alive. Even with the setback, Houston is still in the conversation for the College Football Playoff and the Big 12 title, which says plenty about how much there still is to play for as the schedule moves forward.
What the loss did do was sharpen the focus on the Cougars biggest needs, especially in pass defense and generating more sacks. Those are the kinds of issues that can turn a close contender into a dangerous one, and Houston will need cleaner pressure up front and steadier coverage behind it if it wants to keep climbing in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Race Is Already Taking Shape Around Houston
The early Big 12 picture is starting to come into focus in a way Houston fans will recognize as more than just September noise. Week 3 of the 2026 season brought a few clear risers, with BYU, Arizona State and Texas Tech sitting at the top of the conference standings while the rest of the league spent the weekend sorting itself out. West Virginia added a notable non-conference win over Virginia, and Cincinnati and UCF both had to rally from halftime deficits to get home, a reminder that this league may already be tilting toward the teams that can survive the ugly stretches.
Arizona States 24-17 win over Kansas in the first FBS game in London fit that same theme, with both offenses having a hard time finding rhythm. For Houston, the larger takeaway is simple: the Big 12 race is not waiting around, and the teams that want to stay relevant will need to keep pace while others are banking early wins and building separation. Even this early, the margin for error is shrinking, and the Cougars are watching a conference race take shape around them. [Read more 🡒]