Fatigued Cougars catch break
Friday start adds extra day to rest and heal after three-game conference tournament
And on Monday, the Cougars rested.
Banged up, but mostly exhausted after three games in three days, third-seeded University of Houston stayed off the basketball court and instead spent time watching film in preparation for Friday’s Midwest Region opener against No. 14 seed Georgia State in Tulsa, Okla.
“Able to take a deep breath and go back to the drawing board and prepare for the NCAA Tournament,” freshman guard Nate Hinton said.
The break offered a chance for the Cougars to catch their breath after a grueling three-day stretch at the American Athletic Conference tournament. It also allowed UH to mend injuries, among them guard Corey Davis Jr. (hip), guard DeJon Jarreau (lower back) and forward Fabian White Jr. (arm). Even coach Kelvin Sampson spent Monday afternoon away from the team’s practice facility, staying home to recover from a few aches
of his own.
A Friday-Sunday draw in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament gives the Cougars an extra day to heal after a 34-game season.
“Significance to me is we don’t play until Friday,” Sampson said Sunday after the Cougars lost to Cincinnati in the AAC tournament title game. “I was really hoping to get a Friday bracket. When you play three games in three days, especially the way we play, we’ve got some guys banged up.”
The most notable injury is to Davis, the Cougars’ leading scorer who suffered a strained hip in the first half against Cincinnati. Sampson said he considered sitting Davis in the second half.
Davis has a sharp pain in the area but otherwise no limitations
“Feeling a little better,” said Davis, who is averaging 16.7 points
per game. “Got some treatment done and taking some meds. It’s a process, but I’m doing a lot better.”
Davis said he was experiencing fatigue from the long weekend before taking an elbow to the hip on a rebound. The senior had arguably his worst game of the season, going 3-of-13 from the floor and 2of-10 on 3-pointers.
“I was trying to play through (the injury) because it was a very important game,” he said. “How I was feeling at that moment kind of messed with my game because I couldn’t really move how I wanted to, couldn’t defend, get off the ground as much as I could. My legs were already heavy before I took the blow and that was kind of the knockout punch.”
Jarreau, one of the Cougars’ top reserves, suffered a bruise on his lower back after landing on a row of steps chasing a loose ball. “I’ll be good for Friday,” he said. Jarreau said playing three games over the weekend reminded him of playing in AAU, where it is not uncommon for teams to play multiple games in a short span.
“It takes way more toll on your body playing 40 minutes of highlevel college basketball,” he said. “I’m happy we get to regroup and come back to practice and gameplan for Georgia State.”
Just as important, Davis said, the Cougars needed Monday’s break to “gather thoughts and get focused” after struggling offensively over the final 60 minutes of the AAC tournament. During that span, which included the second half of a semifinal win over Memphis, the Cougars shot 29.8 percent from the floor and 24.4 percent on 3s.
“Much needed, very refreshing to get this week to recuperate and gather ourselves and get our bodies and minds right and ready for Friday,” Davis said.