HOUSTON – The University of Houston Cougars will defend their home court Sunday in a matchup against the University of South Florida Bulls Sunday afternoon at the Fertitta Center.
Here’s what to watch for at the Houston Cougars take on the South Florida Bulls.
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Kelvin Sampson climbing the charts:
With Houston’s 63-59 win over UConn, Houston Cougars Head Coach Kelvin Sampson is now five games away from moving into the fourth place in the ranks of the coaches with the most wins in Houston program history. With a 15-4 record in 2019-20, Sampson ranks as Houston’s career leader in winning percentage at .699 (131-56 record). Currently sitting at 12th in the most victories among active NCAA Division I coaches, he is one of six coaches to lead three different schools to the NCAA Tournament.
Protecting home court:
Over the last five seasons, Houston has posted a 68-11 record in games they’ve played in Houston. In that span the Cougars have competed in three different venues, including a 41-3 mark the last three seasons. Inside the Fertitta Center, Houston (23-3) has been one of the toughest teams to beat. Two of the team’s losses come from games against BYU and Oklahoma State earlier in the season. South Florida will have a tough challenge as they have yet to win a game on the road this season.
About the Bulls:
South Florida 8-11 (1-5 in conference) will enter Sunday’s game on a four game losing streak. Despite their record, USF continues to be a really good defensive team, limiting opponents to an average of 61.9 points per game, first in the American Athletic Conference. Their only conference win came against UConn 75-60, a team that Houston trailed for most of the game. South Florida averages 8.4 steals per game, second in the AAC. It will be strength versus strength on, USF ranks first in defensive rebounding, while Houston ranks first in offensive rebounding. David Collins leads the way in scoring average a game. Collins has reached double-digit points in all games except four this season. USF will be looking for their first win on the road this season.