After dropping the second of a two-game homestand to SMU, the Cougars will have a shot at redemption as they embark on a two-game road trip to take on the top two teams in Conference USA. Saturday, UH stops in El Paso for a date with UTEP.
In their second meeting of the season, the Cougars (12-12, 4-7 C-USA) will be looking to avenge a 57-52 home loss to the Miners on Jan. 22.
“They came to our house and got a win, so it would definitely be sweet revenge if we could get a win on their home court,” Nixon said.
“That’s the type of mindset we want to have going down to El Paso.”
Nixon averages 9.1 points and leads the team with 4.8 assists per game. His backcourt counterpart and Adam Brown – who leads the Cougars with 13.6 points per game – was optimistic about the Cougars’ chances Saturday.
“It’s not a case of whether we can compete with them,” Brown said. “I think our talent level is up there with all the teams in the conference. We just have to go in with the right mindset. We have to go in and make sure we swing first.”
UTEP (19-6, 7-3 C-USA) has enjoyed success in conference play, but is coming off a 64-51 road loss to Southern Miss. on Wednesday.
The sting of the Cougars’ loss to UTEP has not completely worn off. Since the defeat, the Cougars have lost six of seven contests and have dropped to the ninth spot in C-USA. With five games remaining in the regular season schedule, every game is now a must-win.
Head Coach James Dickey said that the Cougars’ approach should not be any different from any other C-USA opponent
“Every game has been tough for us,” Dickey said.
“Our guys know how talented UTEP is, so we’ll have to go there and play with a lot of passion and energy.”
The game will tip off at 8:05 p.m. Saturday at the Don Haskins Center. It will be televised on CBS College Sports.
