HOUSTON – The regular season is winding down for the twenty-first ranked UH Cougars and make their run at the American Athletic Conference championship. Kelvin Sampson’s team is 22-7 and is aiming to become the second UH squad to win back-to-back conference championships since the 1984 Cougars team that advanced to the Final Four during the Phi Slama Jama era.
Thursday night, the Cougars are visiting a surging UConn team in Storrs, Connecticut. The Coogs are coming off their win over Cincinnati Sunday that kept them tied atop the AAC, alongside Tulsa. Entering tonight, after Tulsa’s win on Wednesday, the Hurricanes lead UH by a half-game but it can be all square again with a Houston win tonight.
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The Cougars young team has grown up quickly throughout the season as they have been led by freshman Caleb Mills who leads the team in scoring at just over 13 points per game. The Cougars have also gotten major production out of fellow freshman Marcus Sasser along with sophomore guards Nate Hinton and Quentin Grimes who are both averaging double figures.
Here’s what the Cougars face in Connecticut
Head Coach: Dan Hurley, 3rd season, 1-4 vs UH
17-12 record, 8-8 in AAC
3-game winning streak
Won 4 of their last 5 games
Huskie’s key players
Sr. Christian Vital 15.6 ppg, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals/game
Freshman James Bouknight 13 ppg
Last meeting
January 23, UH win 63-59
After Thursday night’s contest against UConn, the Cougars return home to close out the regular season against Memphis. That tip-off is set for Sunday at 11 a.m. at Fertitta Center. The AAC tournament will begin later next week in Fort Worth.