The No. 3 Houston Cougars will be looking to bounce back from a disastrous loss when they travel to UCF on Wednesday night. Houston had its nine-game winning streak snapped and top spot in the polls revoked when it lost to Temple in a 56-55 stunner on Sunday. UCF gave Houston all it could handle on Dec. 31, losing by six points on the road.
Houston is in an unfamiliar position heading into this game, as it is coming off just its second loss of the season. The Cougars won their first nine games of the campaign before losing to then-No. 8 Alabama in a 71-65 final, but they proceeded to win their next nine games after that. They once again had a nine-game winning streak snapped when they lost to Temple as 19.5-point favorites on Sunday. Houston used a 7-0 run to tie the game with 1:30 remaining, but Temple’s Damian Dunn split a pair of free throws to give the Owls the win. Jamal Shead missed a 3-pointer and a driving layup on Houston’s final two possessions of the game.
Time to fly ??#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/xlDcdkSMQl
— Houston Men's Hoops ?? ?? (@UHCougarMBK) January 24, 2023
The Cougars have relied on their defense in crunch time this season, but their offense is among the best in college basketball as well, ranked No. 14 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings. Their strength has not been hot shooting, it has been their low turnover rate and the fifth-best offensive rebounding rate in the country. They have had all of that success on the offensive glass despite ranking outside the top 225 in average height. UCF is one of the tallest teams in the country and ranks No. 39 in adjusted efficiency. Senior guard Marcus Sasser leads Houston with 16.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, while Tramon Mark and Jarace Walker are each scoring 10.1 points.