KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Winners of 15 of its last 16 games, the #2/1 University of Houston Men’s Basketball program competes in the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive Tournament when it faces #16/15 (5) Miami (Fla.) at 6:15 p.m., Friday, inside T-Mobile Center.
The Cougars earned their trip to the Sweet 16 following wins over (16) Northern Kentucky and (9) Auburn in the NCAA First/Second Rounds last weekend in Birmingham, Ala.
Under the leadership of four-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars have tied the school single-season record for wins and competed in the Top Five of both national polls throughout the 2022-23 season.
Consensus All-American guard Marcus Sasser leads the Cougars with 16.9 points per game. Junior point guard Jamal Shead is one of only 10 student-athletes to rank among the nation’s Top-30 leaders in both assists per game and assist-turnover ratio and was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Forward Jarace Walker ranks second on the team with 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game and was recognized as The American Freshman of the Year and as a unanimous selection for the league’s All-Freshman Team.
Junior forward J’Wan Roberts leads the Cougars with 7.9 rebounds per game to go with a 61.3 field goal percentage and ranks among the league leaders in both categories. The St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, native was honored as The American’s Most Improved Player of the Year.
WATCH PARTY
Houston Fans can watch Friday’s game on a 24-foot screen at Avenida Houston (in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center) at the UH Watch Party.
The Watch Party is free, and all fans are welcome to bring blankets or camp chairs. The Watch Party begins 90 minutes before tip-off.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Friday’s game on CBS and March Madness Live with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Friday’s game on KPRC Radio 950 AM. The pregame show begins at 6 p.m., Friday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting MarchMadnessLive.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
Photo: Getty Images