Men's Basketball Sports

UH-Tulsa rundown: Cougars look to make up for only loss

UH guard Marcus Sasser (0) looks on towards his teammates as he waits for a passing lane to open in a game against Central Florida on Jan. 17 at Fertitta Center. | Andy Yanez/The Cougar

Houston’s Marcus Sasser (0) looks on towards his teammates as he waits for a passing lane to open in a game against Central Florida on Jan. 17 at Fertitta Center. The UH guard had 14 points in the loss against Tulsa on Dec. 29, 2020. | Andy Yanez/The Cougar

The eighth-ranked Houston men’s basketball team returns to action when it takes Tulsa, the only team with a win against the Cougars in 2020-21, on Wednesday inside of Fertitta Center.

UH (11-1, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) enters the contest on a four-game winning streak, which includes a thoroughly dominating performance against UCF in its most recent performance.

The Cougars never trailed in Sunday’s matchup against the Knights, jumping out to a 12-point lead before UCF scored its first points of the game.

Junior guard Quentin Grimes led the team in scoring with 18 points while senior forward Justin Gorham recorded a 15-point, 10-rebound, double-double.

Grimes leads UH in scoring on the season, averaging 17.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Marcus Sasser is second on the team in scoring with 15.5 points a contest. Gorham is averaging 9.2 rebounds per matchup.

Look at the Golden Hurricane

Tulsa (8-4, 5-2  AAC) is coming off a one-point victory over Memphis on Sunday. Senior guard Elijah Joiner posted 16 points to lead the team in the win. Senior guard Brandon Rachal, who is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game, also had 12 points.

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Golden Hurricane suffered a 19-point loss to Wichita State in Kansas, which snapped a six-game winning streak that included the one-point victory over the Cougars.

In the earlier meeting between UH and Tulsa on Dec. 29 Rachal hit two free throws with only 0.1 seconds left on the game clock, which sealed the win for them.

On Tuesday morning, UH head coach Kelvin Sampson talked to reporters on Zoom, and he was asked about how he approaches playing a team for the second time in a season.

“(We) just to see how we scored our baskets,” he said. “How they scored their baskets. Where they hurt us. Where we were successful. Just everything. … Whether you win or lose, the score is irrelevant. You just re-familiarize yourself with your opponent. The best way to do that is to see how you did against them.”

How to watch

The Cougars and Golden Hurricane will tip-off at 7 p.m. and the game will be on ESPN+. It will also be able to be heard on KPRC 950 AM or via the TuneIn App.

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