#14/15 Men’s Hoops Ready to Host UCF in Fertitta Center

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Men's Basketball program continues its homestand when it plays host to American Athletic Conference rival UCF at 8 p.m., Thursday, inside the Fertitta Center.

The Cougars will be looking for the season sweep of the Knights after taking a 63-49 win inside Addition Financial Arena in Orlando on Jan. 29. It was Houston's fourth straight victory and eighth in the last nine outings against UCF.

Houston enters Thursday's game after dropping each of its last two games. It's the first time since January 2017 that the Cougars have lost consecutive regular-season games with Saturday's loss to Memphis ending UH's 37-game home winning streak.

This season, senior guard Kyler Edwards leads the available Cougars with 13.8 points per game and stands third on the team with 5.7 rebounds per contest. The Arlington, Texas, native is one of only three players to rank among The American's Top-11 leaders in both scoring and rebounding.

White is second on the team with 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while senior forward Josh Carlton averages 11.7 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest. Carlton leads The American and ranks 27^th nationally with 3.2 offensive rebounds per game.

Sophomore point guard Jamal Shead leads the Cougars and The American with 5.3 assists per game and stands a close second in the league with a 2.74 assist-turnover ratio.

MILESTONES
• By stepping on the court Thursday, graduate forward Fabian White Jr. will tie a school record with the 136^th game of his career. He will tie point guard Galen Robinson Jr., who reached that total from 2015 to 2019.
• With Houston's next win, White Jr. will set a school record with the 110^th win of his Houston career and break out of a tie with Houston great Michael Young (109 wins, 1980-84). White moved past forward Brison Gresham (45 wins, 2018-21) as the winningest player in Fertitta Center history earlier this season.

BUY 2021-22 TICKETS
To purchase single-game tickets, fans may click here anytime or call 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours.

2022-23 SEASON TICKETS PRIORITY WAIT LIST
Fans who were unable to secure 2021-22 season tickets may start preparing for next season by putting down a $75 deposit and placing their names on the 2022-23 Men's Basketball Season Ticket Priority Wait List by clicking here.

AMONG the BEST
• Through games of Feb. 15, Houston leads the nation in field-goal percentage defense (36.9).
• The Cougars also rank among the nation's Top-10 statistical leaders in scoring margin (+18.1, 3rd) and scoring defense (58.3, 5th) and stand among the country's Top 25 in offensive rebounds (13.3 orpg, 12th), blocked shots (5.3, 16th), winning percentage (83.3, 17th), turnover margin (+3.9, 19th), 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.4, 20th), rebounding margin (+7.0, 20th) and assist-turnover ratio (1.41, 23rd).

STREAKING NATIONALLY
With Monday's release, the Cougars were ranked in the Associated Press poll for the 41^st consecutive week, extending their school record. Houston has been ranked in every AP poll since Jan. 20, 2019.

This is the fifth straight season under Sampson in which the Cougars were ranked for at least one week. Houston finished at No. 6 in the final AP and at No. 3 in the final Ferris Mowers Coaches polls a year ago after advancing to the sixth NCAA Final Four in school history.

ABOUT UCF
• UCF enters Thursday's game with a 15-8 overall record and 7-6 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Knights stand sixth in the latest league standings.
• UCF has posted a 4-5 record in road games this season.
• In its most recent action, UCF claimed a 76-67 win over Tulsa in Orlando on Monday. It was the Knights' second straight win and third victory in the last four games.
• Against Tulsa, graduate guard Brandon Mahan led UCF with 17 points, thanks to 5-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line. Freshman guard Darius Johnson finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, while graduate guard Darius Perry totaled 12 points and tied with senior forward Cheikh Mbacke Diong for team-high honors with six rebounds. Junior guard Darin Green Jr. added 11 points with a pair of 3-pointers in the win.
• This season, Green leads UCF with 13.7 points per game. Perry stands second on the team with 11.3 points per game but leads the Knights with 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Mahan is third on the team with 10.8 points per game. Diong tops the Knights with 5.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Johnny Dawkins is in his sixth year at UCF and his 14th season overall as a collegiate head coach.
• Dawkins has compiled a 109-68 record at UCF and has assembled a 265-183 mark during his career... Built a 156-115 record at Stanford (2008-16).
• Dawkins has posted a 2-8 record against Houston and against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during his career with all 10 previous meetings coming during his UCF tenure.
• 1986 graduate of Duke.

SERIES HISTORY vs. UCF
• Houston owns a 19-11 lead in the series, which began during the 2005-06 season.
• Thursday's game is the second of two meetings during the regular season between the two schools. Houston claimed a 63-49 win inside Addition Financial Arena in Orlando on Jan. 29.
• Houston has won the last four games and eight of the last nine against the Knights. Only a 69-64 UCF win in the Fertitta Center in Houston on March 2, 2019, prevents a longer Houston winning streak
• In the most recent meeting, Houston enjoyed a 63-49 win in Orlando on Jan. 29.
• This is the 17th straight season in which the two schools will play at least once.
• Schools have played as American Athletic Conference rivals at least once every season since 2013-14... Competed as Conference USA rivals from 2005-06 through 2012-13.
• Series started with a 66-56 UCF win in Houston on Jan. 14, 2006.
at Home: Houston owns a 10-5 record against UCF in Houston.
• Houston has won the last two meetings and four of the last five in Houston, including a 75-58 victory on Jan. 17, 2021, inside the Fertitta Center in the most recent meeting.
• In the first meeting in Houston in the series, UCF claimed a 66-56 win inside Hofheinz Pavilion on Jan. 14, 2006.
in Fertitta Center: Houston owns a 2-1 lead in the series against UCF in games played inside the Fertitta Center.
• In the last meeting in the Fertitta Center, the Cougars grabbed a 75-58 win on Jan. 17, 2021.
• In the first meeting in the first center, UCF enjoyed a 69-64 win on March 2, 2019. UCF was the first team to defeat the Cougars inside the Fertitta Center.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPN2 with Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Mark Adams (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Thursday's game on 950 AM KPRC or on The Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling the action.
• Fans can follow live stats Thursday on StatBroadcast.

UP NEXT
• Following Thursday's game, the Cougars return to the road for a pair of games.
• The swing begins at Noon, Sunday, Feb. 20, at Wichita State inside Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. That game will air on ESPN.
• Houston enjoyed a 76-66 win inside the Fertitta Center in Houston on Jan. 8.
• The Cougars then meet Tulane at 7 p.m., Feb. 20, inside Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans. That game can be seen on ESPN+.
• Houston claimed a 73-62 win over the Green Wave inside the Fertitta Center on Feb. 2
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.

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 Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).

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's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

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