
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Erin Edgeerton/AP/Shutterstock (13671936e) Houston guard Tramon Mark (12) move past a Virginia defender during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Charlottesville, Va Houston Virginia Basketball, Charlottesville, United States – 17 Dec 2022
Houston Cougars basketball set to open final conference slate in American Athletic against Tulsa
The Houston Cougars basketball team will open their American Athletic Conference schedule on Wednesday night when they travel to Oklahoma to face off against Tulsa.
No. 3 Houston (12-1) rides in on a three-game winning streak while Tulsa (4-7) comes off the heels of a 76-64 loss to Loyola Marymount.
The Golden Hurricane are led by junior guard Sam Griffin, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters on Monday. Griffin enters the matchup averaging 15 points per game on 39.1% shooting from the field and 3.4 rebounds a contest.
Sophomore guard Anthony Pritchard, who is averaging 11.5 points a game, and junior guard Brandon Betson, who is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 assists a game, are the other guards that round out the backcourt, Sampson said.
All three guards can make plays off the bounce, and Tulsa runs a lot of actions to get its guards downhill, the head coach stated. Griffin can shoot 3-pointers if he is given separation, Sampson added. Griffin is shooting 33.7% from behind the arc this season.
Tulsa sophomore big man Bryant Selebangue is leading the team in rebounds with eight per game. He is also averaging 10.8 points per contest. The Golden Hurricane is led by head coach Eric Konkol, who is in his first season with Tulsa.
“It’s his first year,” Sampson said. “He’s done a really good job of putting this team together. They have an identity with their guards, and their bigs are big, strong, and physical. It’s our next game. We look at every game the same. It is an important game.”
Houston is led by senior guard Marcus Sasser’s 16 points and 1.5 steals per game. Forward J’Wan Roberts leads the Cougars with 7.2 rebounds per contest, and guard Jamal Shead is dishing it out to his teammates with 5.8 assists per contest.
The Houston Cougars and Tulsa Golden Hurricane will tip off at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPNU and can also be heard on KPRC 950 AM radio.