No. 8 Houston men’s basketball resumes non-conference action on Saturday night at Toyota Center in the Houston Hoops showdown against Florida State.
The Cougars have recovered after more than a week of rest after a busy Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas where they played three straight games. Houston went 2-1 and suffered their first loss of the season against now No. 13 Tennessee.
In their previous game, Houston played Notre Dame last Wednesday and won 66-56 where senior guard Emanuel Sharp put up 17 points.
The Cougars gained a lot of understanding about where they stand what they need to improve at. Their first chance to build off the Player’s Era tournament begins tonight.
Coog fans will pack the home of the hometown Rockets for a chance to see their Cougars in a larger home field advantage.
Coogs vs Seminoles
Nov 26, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) dribbles the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2025 Players Era Festival at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
This is Houston’s first matchup against Florida State since the 1973-74 season where the Cougars won 79-74 inside Hofeinz Pavillion in Houston on Jan. 5, 1974. UH leads the all-time series, 3-2.
Florida State enters the game with a 5-3 record and have lost their last two games against Texas A&M and Georgia. The Bulldogs dominated over FSU 107-73 in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are led by senior guard Robert McCary V, who averages close to 14 points per game, along with seven assists and two steals.
Houston is 2-1 at Toyota Center, with games the last two seasons in this arena. The Cougars beat Texas A&M two years ago, folowed by a loss to then No. 11 Auburn in 2024. Houston is 32-2 following a regular season loss since Feb. 2017.
Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. CST from Toyota Center in Houston, and be sure to check back here for live updates on Houston’s showcase game against FSU.
Follow below for live updates as the action unfolds from Toyota Center in downtown Houston.
First Half
Second Half
Houston
41
41
Florida State
33
34
Live Updates
Starting Lineup: Milos Uzan, Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp, Jojo Tugler, Chris Cenac Jr.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 15, Florida State 3
Cenac Jr. and Flemings starts off the scoring and Sharp hits an early three. The Cougars began the game hot and went on a 12-1 run.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 20, Florida State 12
Houston went on a scoring drought of over two minutes that allowed FSU to get back in the game with a 9-2 run of their own. Flemings continues to be the life of the offense for Houston.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 26, Florida State 21
The Seminoles won’t go away and hit three 3-pointers to cut the deficit down to 5. Cenac Jr. continues to make an impact offensively.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 35, Florida State 26
The Cougars begin to respond to each Florida State bucket as the Seminoles start turning the ball over.
Halftime: Houston 41, Florida State 33
UH jumps out to their largest lead of the game at 13 points after a steal and dunk by Flemings, but once again FSU has an answer. The 3-point line is keeping them alive in this one so far. A 7-0 run by the Seminoles brought them back it in as the Cougars struggled to break through FSU’s defense. Flemings is the leading scorer with 13 points on 5/7 shooting and 4 steals. Sharp also added 13 while Cenac Jr. gave 10 and eight.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 50, Florida State 37
Cenac Jr. makes a quick impact to start this second half. Flemings and Sharp each drain 3-pointers as the lead goes back up to 12.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 55, Florida State 44
The Cougars’ lead reaches 15 after another rim attack by Cenac Jr. This time, Houston was able to somewhat maintain the advantage, but still go into another scoring drought.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 65, Florida State 54
Florida State came storming back on a 12-2 run but some timely shots from the Cougars, especially Flemings and Sharp built the lead back up.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 75, Florida State 60
UH is now comfortably in control as senior point guard Milos Uzan scores his first seven points of the game after starting 0/8 from the field.
FINAL: Houston 82, Florida State 67
The Houston Cougars improve to 8-1 on the season after a contested game vs Florida State became a comfortable win in the final few minutes. Senior guard Emanuel Sharp had his best game of the year with 27 points and just poured in on from beyond the arc with a 6/12 mark. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings continued to impress with 21 points and an incredible seven steals and five assists.
Houston shot 49% from the field anad 38% from three. Although UH got outrebounded in all categories, the 15 steals were the difference.