#1 Men's Basketball Defeats Cincinnati, Advances to American Title Game

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – When Marcus Sasser crumbled awkwardly to the court after his feet slipped from under him while dribbling past midcourt, Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson knew something was wrong even without really seeing what had happened.

"Marcus goes down, it means he's hurt," Sampson said. "We always say pain is an opinion. Some kids have a high opinion. Some kids have a low opinion. But Marcus doesn't go down. He never misses practice, never misses a rep. He's always there."

Sasser, the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, suffered an apparent groin injury with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half of the top-ranked Cougars' 69-48 win over Cincinnati in their American Championship Semifinal game on Saturday inside Dickies Arena.

Houston (31-2), which led throughout, was up by eight when Sasser got hurt and expanded that to 15 by halftime.

Sampson said Sasser would be re-evaluated but indicated that the senior guard might not play when the two-time reigning regular-season champion Cougars try to win their third consecutive American Championship title.

"I would probably err on the side of holding him out because of how important next week is," Sampson said. "But the most important thing is Marcus ... his healthy going forward is the most important thing here."

Junior point guard Jamal Shead had 16 points and nine assists for the Cougars in the Semifinal, which matched two teams that are moving to the Big 12 next season. Junior forward J'Wan Roberts had two second-chance layups in the game's first minute to put Houston ahead to stay. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Jarace Walker had 13 points.

"Just knowing that Marcus came out of the game and we still have teammates that we know that come off the bench and come with that same energy, it just shows a lot about our team," Roberts said. "It just shows everybody has each other's back and we never get away from what we're doing, just staying together."

Houston is a sure bet to be a No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket comes out Sunday, no matter what happens in its fifth straight American Championship Title Game.

Landers Nolley II had 14 points for Cincinnati (21-12), which shot a season-worst 25.5% (13 of 51) from the field.

After 30 points for the Cougars on Friday, Sasser had four points in nine minutes against Cincinnati before the non-contact injury. He was dribbling between the conference logo and the 3-point line when his right foot appeared to slip, throwing him off-balance before his left foot slipped as well, sending him into an awkward split.

Sasser was a starter on the Cougars' 2021 Final Four team but missed their run to the NCAA Elite Eight last year because of a broken bone in his left foot before Christmas. He didn't talk to the media after the game.

Cincinnati was within 44-35 on a 3-point by Nolley with just over 15 minutes left - the only time after halftime the Bearcats were within single digits. Shead then started a 17-3 run with a jumper, and had seven points in the spurt that pushed Houston's lead to 61-38.

"Obviously, they're the No. 1-ranked team in the country for a reason, and they're a difficult team to score on," Bearcats coach Wes Miller said. "It was a tough night for us, because we didn't score and we didn't defend well. So that's how you get that kind of a lopsided margin."

BIG PICTURE

Cincinnati: The Bearcats will miss the NCAA Tournament again, their last appearance being 2019, which was their ninth in a row. ... For the second straight day, Cincinnati was down 10 points less than seven minutes into the game. But there would be no comeback like Friday's 84-54 victory over Temple for the Bearcats' largest-ever winning margin in a conference tournament game. Instead, they lost by more than 20 points for only the second time this season.

Houston: The Cougars bounced back from Friday's season-worst shooting game (28.1% overall, 16 of 57). They nearly doubled that in the semifinal game, shooting 50.9% (29 of 57). ... Houston is 11-0 in Dickies Arena, and still hasn't lost away from home this season.

UP NEXT

• For the fifth straight season, the Cougars advance to The American Championship Title Game to meet the (2) Memphis-(3) Tulane winner.
• Sunday's Title Game will tip off at 2:15 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN2.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Sunday's game on ESPN with Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Jon Crispin (analyst) and Myron Medcalf (reporter) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Sunday's game on 950 AM KPRC or the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) calling the action. The pregame show begins at 2 p.m., Sunday.
• Fans can follow live stats for Sunday's game by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

BUY 2022-23 TICKETS
Fans who were unable to purchase season tickets in 2022-23 are invited to join the team's 2023-24 Wait List as the Cougars prepare to enter the Big 12 Conference. To join the 2023-24 season tickets Wait List, fans can click here.

For the third straight season, the Cougars sold out of their season tickets for home games inside the Fertitta Center.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference.

Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

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.

Upcoming Events

Recent Results