The women’s Conference USA Championship tournament begins this week, and the Cougars have been entered in the tournament as the number four seed in C-USA, giving them a bye in the first round.
The team has had a first round bye in four other years since joining C-USA in the 1996-1997 season. Houston’s best finish was in 2001, when they won first place in the regular season and won the conference tournament.
Houston will play its first game today against the winner of the No. 5 seed Southern Miss and No. 12 seed Central Florida game. In their matchups this year, the Cougars defeated both Southern Miss (71-61) and UCF (74-61).
The tournament is being hosted by the Knights at the UCF Arena, giving them a home-court advantage. However, the Cougars’ Jan. 17 victory over UCF came on the road. Houston defeated Southern Miss at Hofheinz on January 20.
Entering with the No. 1 seed is Associated Press No. 19 UTEP, who became the first team in C-USA history to finish undefeated in conference play (16-0). The Miners finished at 25-2 overall and are on a 21-game winning streak, making them the heavy favorite for the tournament.
No. 7 seed Memphis and No. 11 seed Tulane have already been knocked out of the tournament in early competition. Southern Miss faces off against UCF and No. 9 seed Rice plays No. 8 seed East Carolina late Thursday night. The winner between Rice and East Carolina will then face UTEP. If the Cougars advance beyond their first game, they will face the winner of the UTEP and Rice/East Carolina game.
The Cougars will look for great performances from senior guards Twiggy McIntyre and Tye Jackson. In addition to being two of the most experienced players on the team, McIntyre led the team in average points per game with 15.5, followed closely by Jackson who averaged 11. The two also finished the season with team highs in assists, Jackson at 139 and McIntyre at 88.
For physical presence, the team must rely heavily on two freshmen, forward Courtney Taylor and center Cobilyn Hill. Taylor led the team in rebounds per game with 8.5, and Hill led the team in blocks with 65 on the season.
After a slow start, the Cougars hit their stride mid-way through the season, winning eight games in a row at one point. They finished the season 1-6 over their last seven games. Their first game will be at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
