The locations of Houston men’s basketball away games in the order scheduled. | Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
After navigating a relentless Big 12 schedule, No. 6 Houston men’s basketball finally has a chance to breathe. A four-day break between games is short by most standards, but it’s the most time Houston gets during its journey through the 20-game conference slate, which presents 10 straight weeks of twice-weekly matchups.
“I’m not saying it’s the Bataan Death March, but it is a grueling schedule for college kids,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We all have the same issue.”
The transition
This season, the Big 12 transitioned from an 18-game-league schedule to a 20-game slate that runs from the end of December through the second week of March. With Big 12 schools as far west as Utah and as far east as West Virginia, playing in three time zones in a short period is a norm. Although the league has plans to move back to a shorter league slate next season, teams are feeling the effects heavily.
“Everybody is going through it so nobody has any disadvantages or advantages, but it is tough,” Sampson said. “When we go to an 18-game schedule now student-athlete welfare will come into it, but if it was up to the powers, they wouldn’t do it.”
The Cougars opened the season with a condensed non-conference schedule. Extended breaks between games, some as long as eight days, left Houston eager to return to the court. However, those sporadic 11 games in November and December quickly gave way to the relentless demands of Big 12 play, where the intensity, consistency and demand only escalated.
A grueling stretch
To start February, Houston faced a grueling stretch of four games in 10 days. After returning from West Virginia, the Cougars had just two days before taking the floor against Texas Tech, where they suffered their first conference loss in an overtime battle.
By Tuesday, they were in Stillwater, Okla., followed by a trip to Boulder, Colo. to continue their undefeated Big 12 road record. A day later, they returned home for a showdown with Baylor, marking their second of four Saturday-to-Monday turnarounds this season.
The challenges won’t let up anytime soon. Beginning Saturday with No. 13 Arizona, Houston embarks on another brutal 10-day stretch, featuring four games, three of which are against ranked opponents.
The Wildcats, who are neck and neck with Houston in the conference standings, are the first test before Houston takes a trip to Arizona State.
Sampson credits athletic director Eddie Nuñez for ensuring the team can return to Houston between the two out-of-state contests to maintain a more natural schedule.
Upon the team’s return, Houston hosts No. 10 Iowa State on Feb. 22 before a rematch with No. 12 Texas Tech on the road on Feb. 24.
“February is a grind,” Sampson said. “It’s the hardest month. You can feel the finish line, but you can’t see it yet. And then you know what’s coming next.”
Houston plays Cincinnati at home on March 1, before a quick turnaround to face No. 17 Kansas on March 3. The regular season ends with a trip to Baylor on March 8. The Big 12 Tournament begins the next week, ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
Health matters
Practice time is limited, and days away from the court are even harder to come by.
“We get treatment and be careful with our bodies,” graduate forward J’Wan Roberts said. “[We do] anything to get our bodies right.”
The Cougars have a plethora of resources, including fluids, nutrition, hot and cold tubs, massages and rest to battle fatigue. But pain and injury remain a challenge.
Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp missed games against Oklahoma State and Colorado with a nagging ankle injury, which allowed redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux, the Cougars’ leader in minutes off the bench, to enter the starting lineup.
For Arceneaux, returning to a full workload after suffering an Achilles injury last season has not been easy.
“I haven’t played this long in a season yet, since being in college with this many minutes, so it’s been challenging,” he said. “But I have been doing a good job taking care of my body, and just trying to attack every day to get better.”
Each day is a chance for Houston to embrace the grind. Fatigue is part of the battle, but the Cougars welcome the challenge.
“This is the most taxing, most physical part of the season, but it’s also the most fun,” Sampson said. “They would rather do this than be sitting for eight days, I promise you.”
