#6/7 Men’s Hoops Back to Work at SMU on Wednesday

DALLAS – The University of Houston Men's Basketball program continues its road swing when it meets American Athletic Conference rival –/rv SMU at 6 p.m., Wednesday, inside Moody Coliseum.

No. 6/7 Houston has won its last 12 games, including each of its first nine American contests to stand atop the latest league standings. With Sunday's 80-58 win at Cincinnati, the Cougars improved to 20-2 overall for the program's seventh consecutive 20-win season under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, a first in school history.

Against the Bearcats, the Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead barely three seconds into the game following a thunderous dunk from graduate guard Taze Moore off the opening tipoff and never looked back in taking Houston's biggest road win in the series history.

Graduate forward Fabian White Jr. led all players with a career-high 22 points and eight rebounds for his second straight 20-point performance. The Atascocita, Texas, native drained a big 3-pointer early in the second half to halt a Cincinnati rally and dished out a pair of assists with two blocked shots.

For his impressive performance, White was honored Monday as The American's Player of the Week, a first in his career.

This season, senior guard Kyler Edwards leads Houston's available players with 13.9 points per game and stands second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest. He is one of only three players to rank among The American's Top-10 leaders in both scoring and rebounding, joining Tulsa's Jeriah Horne and Tulane's Kevin Cross.

Wednesday's game will be the first of two regular-season meetings against the Mustangs. The Cougars meet the Mustangs at Noon, Feb. 27, inside the Fertitta Center.

Taze Moore

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Wednesday's game on ESPN2 with Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Sean Harrington (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Wednesday's game on 950 AM KPRC or on The Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham calling the action.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

MILESTONES
• With Houston's next win, graduate forward Fabian 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 recently moved past forward Brison Gresham (45 wins, 2018-21) as the winningest player in Fertitta Center history earlier this season.
• In addition to his victory totals, White needs to compete in only three more games to tie point guard Galen Robinson Jr. for the school record with 136 career games played.
• With his first basket at Cincinnati on Sunday, graduate forward Josh Carlton moved past 1,000 points in his collegiate career. The Winterville, N.C., native scored 746 points during his UConn career (2017-21) and has scored 260 points in his first 22 games at Houston this season.
• Carlton became the fourth player with the Cougars to reach 1,000 points in his career. White became the 49^th player in Houston career history to reach that milestone in the Cougars' win over Tulane on Feb. 2, while Moore and senior guard Kyler Edwards hit quadruple digits earlier this season following careers at Cal State Bakersfield and Texas Tech, respectively.

AMONG the BEST
• Through games of Feb. 6, Houston leads the nation in field-goal percentage defense , limiting opponents to only 36.0 percent from thefield
• The Cougars also rank among the nation's Top-25 statistical leaders in scoring margin (+20.4, 2nd), scoring defense (56.6, 3rd), winning percentage (90.9, 3rd), 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.9, 8th), offensive rebounds (13.7 orpg, 8th), rebounding margin (+7.7, 12th), turnover margin (+4.5, 12th), assist-turnover ratio (1.46, 16th) and blocked shots (5.4, 18th).

STREAKING NATIONALLY
With Monday's release, the Cougars were ranked in the Associated Press poll for the 40^thconsecutive week, extending their school record. Houston has been ranked in every AP poll since Jan. 20, 2019.

It also marks the 91^st week in which the Cougars appeared in the Top 10 in program history.

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 SMU
• SMU enters Wednesday's game with a 16-5 overall record and 7-2 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Mustangs stand in second in the latest league standings.
• SMU received two votes in the latest Ferris Mowers' Coaches Poll to tie for 43rd.
• SMU has posted an 11-0 record in home games this season.
• In its most recent action, SMU dropped a 72-57 decision at Wichita State on Saturday.
• Against Wichita State, senior forward Marcus Weathers led the Mustangs with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior guard Emmanuel Bandoumel added 12 points with four rebounds, while senior guard Kendric Davis finished with eight points, three rebounds and a game-high five assists.
• This season, Davis leads SMU with 19.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. Weathers stands second with 11.8 points per game and tops the Mustangs with 7.0 rebounds per contest. Bandoumel ranks third on the team with 10.5 points per game. Senior guard Michael Weathers paces the Mustangs with 1.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per contest.
• Head Coach Tim Jankovich is in his seventh year at SMU and his 16th season as a collegiate head coach.
• Jankovich has compiled a 117-60 record at SMU and is 274-181 during his career... Previously built a 104-64 record at Illinois State (2007-12) and a 104-64 mark at North Texas (1993-97).
• Jankovich has posted a 3-8 record against Houston during his career with all 11 previous meetings coming during his Houston tenure.
• Jankovich has posted a 3-8 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers... Is 3-7 against Sampson as SMU's head coach and was 0-1 with Illinois State during Sampson's Indiana Tenure.
• 1982 graduate of Kansas State.

SERIES HISTORY vs. SMU
• Houston owns a 55-33 lead against SMU in the series, which began during the 1955-56 season.
• Wednesday's game is the first of two meetings during the regular season between the two schools. SMU will visit the Fertitta Center in Houston on Feb. 27.
• Houston has won the last two games and seven of the last eight. Only a 73-72 SMU win in overtime in Dallas on Feb. 15, 2020, prevents a longer Houston winning streak.
• In the most recent meeting, Houston claimed a 70-48 win inside the Fertitta Center in Houston on Jan. 31, 2021.
• This is the 17th straight season in which the two schools will play at least once.
• Teams met as Conference USA rivals from 200506 through 2012-13 before beginning competition as American Athletic Conference rivals in 2013-14.
• Series started with an 89-74 SMU win during the 1956 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region First Round in Lawrence, Kan., on March 16, 1956.
on Road: Houston owns a 19-17 lead in the series in Dallas.
• Houston won the most recent encounter and has won three of the last four. Only a 73-72 SMU win in overtime on Feb. 15, 2020, inside Moody Coliseum prevents a longer Houston winning streak.
• In first road meeting in Dallas, SMU claimed an 87-75 win on Jan. 26, 1976.

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.

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).

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