Critical stretch in AAC begins with UCF
At the start of the season, University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson had Central Florida and Cincinnati at the top of his ballot in the American Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll.
A few months later, Sampson has seen nothing to change his opinion. With about four weeks left in the regular season, the top three spots in the league are clearly defined with Houston, Cincinnati and UCF.
The No. 12 Cougars (21-1, 8-1 AAC) open arguably the toughest week of the season Thursday at preseason favorite UCF (16-4, 6-2) in Orlando, Fla., and host No. 25 Cincinnati (19-3, 8-1) on Sunday at Fertitta Center.
UH and Cincinnati, the defending AAC regular-season and tournament champion, are tied for first place. UCF, the preseason favorite, is 1½ games back.
“Very tough stretch,” Sampson said. “For us, it’s just an opportunity. It’s not the end of the world if we lose, and no medals are going to be given if we win.”
The back-to-back games are part of a tough stretch in February that includes four of six games on the road. After Cincinnati, the Cougars play at Connecticut on Feb. 14.
A sweep against the top challengers could allow the Cougars to take control of a tight AAC race, not to mention make a case for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Most bracketology projections list the Cougars as a No. 3 or 4 seed.
“This is definitely going to be a challenge,” UH center Breaon Brady said. “There are no easy games. If you slip up or you are slacking or not prepared, or you are disrespecting the game by not coming in every day and working hard, it’s hard to win a game.”
‘We are a battle-tested team’
The Cougars own the nation’s longest active home winning streak at 31 games, which dates to the start of the 2017-18 season. The only loss this season came on Jan. 9 at Temple, 73-69.
UH played two tough non-conference road games against BYU and Oklahoma State and has captured victories at South Florida, SMU and Tulsa.
“We are a battle-tested team,” point guard Galen Robinson Jr. said. “We know what to do. It is a big game for us (against UCF), but we know if we travel with our defense and culture we have a good chance of beating anybody.”
Earlier this week, Sampson admitted that even he is surprised at the Cougars’ hot start — “I certainly didn’t see it coming” — and that the eventual AAC champion is likely to finish with a few losses.
“I don’t think anybody in this league is going to go 17-1 or 16-2, or maybe not even 15-3,” Sampson said. “There are too many tough teams.”
Of the final nine regular-season games, UH must play twice (home-and-away) against UCF and Cincinnati. UH has won the last three meetings against UCF and is 3-31 all-time against Cincinnati, splitting a pair of regular-season games last season before losing by a point in the AAC tournament championship game.
Must stay on an even keel
Robinson said the Cougars must avoid placing too much emphasis on one game.
“At the end of the day, coach always says it’s just a 94-foot slab of rectangular wood,” he said. “It’s still the game of basketball, whether it’s here or The Netherlands.”
The Cougars are coming off a seven-day break since avenging their lone loss with a 73-66 win over Temple at Fertitta Center.
The victory came despite guard Armoni Brooks, one of the Cougars’ top playmakers, managing only three points and starting forward Fabian White getting just two points. Guard Nate Hinton was limited to six minutes with a broken nose and will wear a custom-fitted face mask for the remainder of the season.
What the Cougars rely on is a defense that ranks among the nation’s best in several major statistical categories. Guard Corey Davis Jr. is coming off a 24-point performance against Temple.
“We have a laundry list of things that we need to get better at,” Sampson said.