Houston Opens NCAA Tournament Play on Friday

Time	6:20 p.m. • Friday, March 22
Location	BOK Center (17,796) • Tulsa, Okla.
Television	TBS Brad Nessler, PxP Steve Lavin, analyst Jim Jackson, analyst Evan Washburn, reporter
Radio	KPRC 950 AM Pregame show begins at 6:05 p.m. Jeremy Branham, PxP Elvin Hayes, analyst Westwood One Sports Ryan Radtke, PxP P.J. Carlesimo, analyst
Live Stats	Live Stats
Game Notes	Houston Notes Georgia State The American Notes

TULSA, Okla. – For the second straight season, the University of Houston Men's Basketball program competes in the NCAA Tournament when it faces No. 14 seed Georgia State at 6:20 p.m., Friday, inside the BOK Center.

The Cougars, who earned the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, earned an at-large bid to the tournament following a record-setting 2018-19 season.

Houston, which is ranked at No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Coaches poll and at No. 11 in the most recent Associated Press poll, has compiled a 31-3 overall record and captured the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship by two games. It was the first outright regular-season title for the Cougars since 1984.

Under the leadership of two-time defending American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars posted only the fourth 30-win season in school history and reeled off 33 consecutive home wins to own the nation's longest active streak for much of the regular season.

For his team's impressive efforts, Sampson has been recognized as a National Coach of the Year finalist by four organizations, including the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year on Wednesday morning.

This will be the first time the Cougars have competed in consecutive NCAA Tournaments since the 1983 and 1984 teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

TELEVISION/RADIO
• Friday's game can be seen on TBS by clicking here with Brad Nessler calling the play-by-play action, Steve Lavin and Jim Jackson providing analysis and Evan Washburn reporting from the sidelines.
• Friday's game can be heard on KPRC 950 AM with Jeremy Branham calling the play-by-play action and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes providing analysis.
• Fans also can hear the game live on Westwood One Sports by clicking here with Ryan Radtke calling the play-by-play action and P.J. Carlesimo providing analysis.

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ABOUT THE COUGARS
Several Cougars have earned postseason awards in 2018-19 for their outstanding player. Senior guard Corey Davis Jr. leads the Cougars with 16.7 points per game and was an All-American Athletic Conference First-Team honoree and USBWA All-District VII selection.

With 100 3-pointers this season, Davis joined Robert McKiver as the only Cougars to post multiple seasons with 100+ 3-point field goals and ranks among the nation's Top-20 free throw leaders.

Davis also recently became the newest member of Houston's 1,000-Point Club, becoming the 48^th Cougar to reach that milestone.

When he takes the court against Georgia State on Friday, senior point guard Galen Robinson Jr. will tie the school record with his 134^th career game played.

In four seasons with the Cougars, the Westbury Christian product has played every game in his career, leading Houston to four straight 20-win seasons, four postseason appearances including back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, and the first outright regular-season title since 1984.

With 101 wins entering Friday's opener, he will finish his career as the Cougars' second-winningest player in program history.

Junior guard Armoni Brooks ranks second on the team with 13.6 points per game and leads the Cougars with 6.5 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players to rank among The American's Top-15 leaders in both scoring AND rebounding and recently received All-American Athletic Conference Second-Team honors.

Sophomore DeJon Jarreau was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year, the second straight season a Cougar collected that award after Brooks was named in 2018. Although he didn't start a game in 2018-19, Jarreau ranked third on the team with 8.9 points per game and finished second among the Cougars with 3.4 assists per game.

Guard Nate Hinton earned a place on the league's All-Freshman Team. The Gastonia, N.C. native scored 19 points with 11 rebounds for the first double-double of his career as the Cougars claimed an 85-69 win at No. 24/23 Cincinnati on March 10 to clinch the outright league title.

UP NEXT
• With a win against Georgia State, the Cougars would advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the second straight season. There, they would face the winner of (6) Iowa State-(11) Ohio State on Sunday inside the BOK Center in Tulsa.
• Time and broadcasting network for that game would be announced at a later date.

JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered team apparel, a signed basketball, invitations to practice, a tour of the $25 million Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, regular updates about the program and much more.

To join the 50-50 Club, fans can call 713-743-9742 or email UHMensBasketball@uh.edu. For more information about the 50-50 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team' Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

– UHCougars.com –

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Players Mentioned

Armoni Brooks

Corey Davis Jr.

Nate Hinton

DeJon Jarreau

Galen Robinson Jr.

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