The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (17-7, 11-2 in Big 12) returns home to host the No. 6 University of Houston (20-4, 12-1 in Big 12) on Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon in McKale Center. The Wildcats look to redeem themselves after suffering a devastating 73-70 loss to Kansas State University on Feb. 11 in Manhattan, Kansas.
History vs. Houston
Saturday will mark the 13th meeting between Houston and Arizona, and the two teams are tied 6-6 in their all-time series record. In the two programs’ first meeting on Dec. 22, 1967, Arizona hosted Houston but fell in an 81-76 defeat in Tucson. The most recent matchup between the Cougars and Wildcats occurred during the Sweet 16 on March 24, 2022, when Houston came out victorious, 72-60, in San Antonio, Texas. Heading into this matchup, Arizona looks to secure a needed victory against the Cougars.
Houston players to watch
The Cougars are led by head coach Kelvin Sampson, who is entering his 11th season at the helm in Houston. In the past 10 seasons, Sampson has led the Cougars to six NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four in 2021. Known for his intense defensive strategies, Sampson also became the second-winningest coach in program history during the 2020-2021 season with a team that had an all-time program-leading .770 winning percentage.
The Cougars are currently on a three-game winning streak with their most recent victory coming against Baylor University, 76-65. This was Houston’s 20th recorded win for the season for the 10th consecutive year under coach Sampson. This is the 28th season he will record 20 wins for his career.
In the victory, leading scorer L.J. Cryer posted 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. A 6-foot-1 graduate guard, Cryer was named to the 2023-2024 All-Big 12 Second Team. Despite only averaging 1.9 assists per game, Cryer is known for his playmaking abilities to set up teammates for successful plays. Cryer can also score, as he leads his team with 14.3 points and two rebounds per game.
Milos Uzan, a 6-foot-4 guard for Houston, is the team’s assist leader, dishing out 4.8 assists per game. In a recent 69-59 victory over the University of Colorado Boulder on Feb. 8, Uzan put up 12 points, five rebounds and three assists to help secure the win. Additionally, he shot a perfect 2-for-2 from the 3-point line. Uzan averages a stat line of 10 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Wildcats to watch
The Wildcats are led by fourth-season head coach Tommy Lloyd. Under Lloyd, Arizona has collected a .679 winning percentage against AP Top 25 teams, good enough to rank second in the country as of Feb. 13. Notably, Arizona is 8-1 under Lloyd when competing at home against Top 25 teams.
Tobe Awaka has continued to be stellar in his time with Arizona, as the 6-foot-8 forward was named this week’s Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds in two victories against BYU and Texas Tech University before this week. Awaka, a junior for the Wildcats, averages 8.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. Additionally, Awaka currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, picking up three per game.
Caleb Love ranks fifth in the Big 12 for best free-throw shooting percentage (85.7%). Love, a former Tarheel from the University of North Carolina, reached 2,500 career points on Tuesday against Kansas State, becoming the 85th player in NCAA Division Ⅰ men’s basketball history to do so.
He is one of four active players in Division Ⅰ to reach this milestone. Love leads the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Notably, he ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring.
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