MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
No. 9 UCONN vs. No. 1 HOUSTON
When: Friday, noon
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Records: UConn 16-16 (6-12 AAC), Houston 29-2 (16-2 AAC)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: UConn/IMG Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WICCBrideport (600 AM), WINE-Danbury (940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, Sirius-81, XM-81, Internet-81
KEEP AN EYE ON
⏩ PHI SLAMA JAMA MEMORIES: Houston is ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 4 in the NET (as of March 10). The Cougars clinched the AAC’s regular-season title with an impressive 85-69 win at second-place Cincinnati on Sunday. It’s Houston’s first outright league title since winning the Southwest Conference in 1984 behind Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Young & Co.
⏩ LAST TIME OUT: For the second straight season, UConn and Houston met just once this year. The Cougars notched a 71-63 win on Feb. 14 at the XL Center. The Huskies had cut a 17-point deficit down to seven with less than three minutes left, and appeared to have a fast-break opportunity. However, an inadvertent whistle by a ref blew the play dead, and they couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.
The Huskies were without leading scorer Jalen Adams, who had suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee a week earlier, and point guard Alterique Gilbert, who was still a week away from returning from his latest shoulder injury.
“It will be a tough challenge,” Adams said of Friday’s matchup. “We are ready for it. Our guys held their own in the first match-up without two starters, and I think the confidence is going to go through the roof with me coming back. And I don't know. We'll see what happens.
Added Christian Vital: “We’ve got Jalen back, so I like our chances.” ⏩ HISTORY LESSON: UConn is 5-7 all-time against Houston, but has lost five of the last six match-ups. Its last victory was a 74-65 win in an AAC tournament game at the XL Center on March 10, 2017.