#1 Men’s Basketball Begins Postseason on Friday

Cougars meet South Florida/East Carolina winner at Noon, Friday, in Quarterfinals

FORT WORTH, Texas – The #1/1 University of Houston Men's Basketball program open its 2022-23 postseason when it competes in the American Athletic Conference Championship Quarterfinals at Noon, Friday, inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Cougars (29-2 • 17-1 American) will face (9) East Carolina on Friday. The Pirates claimed a 73-58 win over (8) South Florida in the First Round on Thursday afternoon.

Houston has won the last two American Championship titles in Dickies Arena and will compete as the No. 1 seed for the third time in the last four tournaments.

Houston is the only undefeated team in non-home games in the nation in 2022-23. The Cougars have posted an 11-0 record in road games with a 2-0 mark in neutral-site games this season.

The Cougars enter this week's event as winners of their last 10 games, including a 67-64 thriller at Memphis behind junior point guard Jamal Shead's game-winning shot at the buzzer. Senior guard Marcus Sasser finished with 13 points and became the Cougars' career 3-point-leader with three treys against the Tigers.

Both Sasser and Shead were part of the Cougars' record haul in the American Athletic Conference postseason awards earlier this week. Sasser was named the league's Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection for the All-Conference First Team while Shead was recognized as its Defensive Player of the Year and earned a Second-Team nod.

Senior forward Jarace Walker was honored as The American Freshman of the Year, was named to the All-Conference Second Team and was a unanimous choice for the All-Freshman Team, where he was joined by guard teammates Terrance Arceneaux and Emanuel Sharp.

Junior forward J'Wan Roberts was named the Most Improved Player of the Year and was a Second-Team honoree while senior forward Reggie Chaney was recognized as The American's Sixth Man of the Year.

For the fourth time in the last six years, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson was honored as the league's Coach of the Year.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Friday's game on ESPN2 with Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Jon Crispin (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Friday'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 11:45 a.m., Friday.
• Fans can follow live stats 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.

HOME AWAY from HOME
• Houston has enjoyed tremendous success inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, during its brief history inside the facility.
• With its 53-48 win over –/rv Saint Mary's (Calif.) in The Battleground 2K22 on Dec. 3, the Cougars have won nine consecutive games inside Dickies Arena since the 2020-21 season.
• This marked the third straight season in which the Cougars competed inside Dickies Arena.
• The streak began with a 64-53 win over #14/13 Texas Tech during the Southwest Showcase on Nov. 29, 2020. From there, the team captured its first American Athletic Conference Championship title with three straight wins over Tulane (77-52, March 12, 2021); Memphis (76-74, March 13, 2021) and Cincinnati (91-54, March 14, 2021).
• In 2021-22, the Cougars enjoyed a 72-61 win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 18, 2021.
• Houston then defended its American Athletic Conference Championship title with wins over Cincinnati (71-53, March 11, 2022); Tulane (86-66, March 12, 2022) and Memphis (71-53, March 13, 2022).

POSTSEASON CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
• In 2022-23 Cougars are competing in their conference postseason tournament for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons and the 45th time in the last 47 seasons... Only an absence from the 2020 American Championship (COVID-19 pandemic) and the 2004 Conference USA Championship prevents a perfect streak.
• The Cougars have posted a 53-37 record during conference postseason tournaments... That includes a 12-6 record in the American Athletic Conference, a 13-15 mark in Conference USA play and a 28-16 tally in the Southwest Conference.
• During its conference postseason history, Houston has advanced to the Semifinals 28 times, made 15 title game appearances and won eight tournament titles.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA
• East Carolina brings a 16-16 overall record and 6-12 mark in American Athletic Conference action in 2022-23 into Friday's Quarterfinals.
• The Pirates finished ninth in the league standings and will play as the No. 9 seed at The American Championship.
• East Carolina owns a 4-1 record in neutral site games and a 6-10 mark in non-home games this season.
• With Thursday's win over South Florida, the Pirates snapped a two-game losing streak.
• In its most recent action, East Carolina claimed a 73-58 win over (8) South Florida in the American Athletic Conference Championship First Round inside Dickies Arena on Thursday afternoon.
• Against South Florida, guards RJ Felton and Jaden Walker each posted 22 points to lead the Pirates. Walker also led the way with 10 assists while Felton's seven rebounds topped the team. Forward Ezra Ausar finished with 10 points and added four rebounds with a pair of steals.
• This season, guard Javon Small leads the Pirates with 15.8 points and 5.6 assists per game. Felton stands second on the team with 14.0 points per game while Brandon Johnson ranks third with 12.5 points per contest but averages a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Michael Schwartz is in his first season at East Carolina and as a collegiate head coach.
• Schwartz has built a 16-16 career record.
• Schwartz is 0-1 against Houston during his career.
• Schwartz is 0-1 against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.

SERIES HISTORY vs. EAST CAROLINA
• Houston owns a 20-6 lead against East Carolina in the series, which began during the 2001-02 season.
• The two schools met only once during the 2022-23 season with Houston claiming a 76-57 win in Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 25
• Houston has won 11 of the last 12 meetings against the Pirates. Only an 82-73 loss in Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 3, 2021, prevents a longer Cougar winning streak.
• This is the ninth straight and the 18th in the last 19 years in which the two schools will compete as conference rivals. The schools did not face one another during the 2013-14 season.
• Schools competed as Conference USA rivals from 1996-97 through 2012-13... Have squared off as American Athletic Conference rivals at least once a year since 2014-15.
• Series started with a 63-46 East Carolina win in Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 23, 2002.
at Conference Championship / Neutral Site: Houston owns a 2-0 lead against East Carolina in games played at neutral sites and/or in Conference championships.
• In the most recent meeting, the Cougars enjoyed a 93-80 win in the Conference USA Championship in Tulsa, Okla., on March 10, 2020.
• In the first meeting, Houston took a 58-49 win in the C-USA Championship in Cincinnati on March 6, 2002.
at The American Championship: Friday's game would be the first time Houston has faced East Carolina at The American Championship.

UP NEXT
• With a win in Friday's quarterfinal, the Cougars would advance to the Semifinals against the winner of (4)Cincinnati-(5) Temple.
• The Semifinals will air at 2 p.m., Saturday, inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. That game can be seen on ESPN2.
• The Title Game is set for 2:15 p.m., Sunday, on ESPN.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.

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
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