#5/5 Men’s Basketball Faces UCF in Fertitta Center

HOUSTON – Winners of its last 15 home games, the University of Houston Men's Basketball program puts its streak on the line when it faces Big 12-rival UCF at 1 p.m., Saturday, inside Fertitta Center. Saturday's game is presented by Coca Cola.

#5/5 Houston has won each of its 10 home games during the 2023-24 to tie for the fourth-longest home winning streak in the country.

The Cougars enter this weekend's game following a 79-54 win over league leader #25/25 Texas Tech in Fertitta Center on Wednesday night. Senior point guard Jamal Shead did a little of everything against the Red Raiders, scoring a career-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting while dishing out a game-high 10 assists with four rebounds, two steals and only two turnovers in nearly 34 minutes.

With his assist total, the Manor, Texas, native moved past 100 dimes this season and became only the ninth student-athlete in school history to record 3+ 100-assist seasons during his career. Shead joined Derrick Daniels (4, 1988-92); Galen Robinson Jr. (4, 2015-18); DeJon Jarreau (3, 2018-21); Lanny Smith (3, 2004-08); Alvin Franklin (3, 1983-86); Reid Gettys (3, 1982-85); Rob Williams (3, 1979-82) and Ken Ciolli (3, 1976-79).

Wednesday's win also was the 747^th victory in Head Coach Kelvin Sampson's career. He moved past Phog Allen into sole possession of 24^th in NCAA history among coaches with 10+ years at the Division I level. Allen recorded 746 wins at Kansas, Central Missouri, Haskell and Baker from 1905-56).

Saturday's game will be part of a busy day in the Fertitta Center as Houston Women's Basketball plays host to league-foe Oklahoma at 6 p.m.

GAME PROMOTIONS
• Saturday's game is presented by Coca Cola.
• Saturday's game will be Mascot Day in Fertitta Center with Houston-area mascots in attendance
• Lamar Jones will perform the national anthem prior to the game.
• Houston-area mascots will perform at halftime.

A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY
• Saturday's game will be the 56^th anniversary of the Game of the Century between #2 Houston and #1 UCLA inside the Houston Astrodome.
• Played in front of nearly 53,000 fans, it was the first NCAA regular-season basketball game to be broadcast nationally and forever changed the way fans enjoyed collegiate athletics.
• Houston legend and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes led all players with 39 points and 15 rebounds and drained a pair of key free throws late to give the Cougars the lead for good in a 71-69 win.
• The victory snapped the Bruins' 47-game winning streak.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Pete Sousa (play-by-play) and Adrian Branch (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Houston Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling the action. The pregame show begins at 12:45 p.m., Saturday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

ABOUT UCF
• UCF brings an 11-5 overall record and 2-2 Big 12 mark into Saturday's game inside Fertitta Center
• The Knights are tied for fifth in the latest league standings
• UCF is 1-2 in road games and 3-2 in non-home games during the 2023-24 season.
• The Knights have alternated wins and losses in their last five games.
• In its most recent action, UCF overcame a 16-point deficit and scored 45 points in the second half to take a 77-71 win at Texas in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday night.
• Against Texas, junior guard Jaylin Sellers came off the bench to lead all players with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Fifth-year guard Shemarri Allen added 17 points with four rebounds and a game-high-tying seven assists while junior guard Darius Johnson totaled 11 points with three rebounds and four assists. Senior forward CJ Walker and Omar Payne chipped in with 10 points apiece.
• This season, Sellers leads the Knights with 17.9 points per game while Johnson stands second with 14.2 points and a team-best 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per contest. Fifth-year forward Ibrahima Diallo paces the Knights with 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Johnny Dawkins is in his eighth season at UCF and his 16th season as a collegiate head coach.
• Dawkins has posted a 142-92 record with UCF and is 298-207 during his career.
• Dawkins previously built a 156-115 record at Stanford (2008-16).
• Dawkins has posted a 3-11 record against Houston during his career. That includes a 2-11 record with UCF and a 1-0 mark with Stanford.
• Dawkins has posted a 2-11 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers. All 13 previous meetings have come during Sampson's Houston and Dawkins' UCF tenures.
• 1986 graduate of Duke.

SERIES HISTORY vs. UCF
• Houston owns a 22-11 lead in the series history against UCF.
• Saturday's game will be the first regular-season meeting against UCF during the 2023-24 season. Houston visits Addition Financial Arena in Orlando on March 6.
• Saturday's game marks the 19th straight season in which the schools will play at least once.
• Houston has won the last seven meetings and 11 of the last 12 against the Knights. Only a 69-64 loss in Fertitta Center on March 2, 2019, prevents a longer streak.
• The series has been played at least once every year since the 2005-06 season.
• The Big 12 is the third conference in which the two schools will compete as league rivals. The teams first met as Conference USA rivals from 2005-06 through 2012-13 and then square off as American Athletic Conference foes from 2013-14 through 2022-23.
• In the most recent meeting, Houston enjoyed an 82-71 win inside Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 25, 2023.
• In the first meeting, UCF took a 66-56 win inside Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Jan. 14, 2006.
at Home: Houston owns an 12-5 lead in the series history against UCF in games played on the Cougars' home court.
• Houston has won the last four and six of the last seven home meetings. Only a 69-64 loss in Fertitta Center on March 2, 2019, prevents a longer streak.
• In the most recent home meeting, Houston took a 71-65 win inside Fertitta Center on Dec. 31, 2022.
in Fertitta Center: Houston is 4-1 against UCF inside Fertitta Center.
• UCF became the first opponent to win in Fertitta Center with a 69-64 decision on March 2, 2019.
• The Cougars have won each of the last four games in Houston and done so by an average of 14.0 points per contest.

UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, Houston takes on #20/19 BYU at 8 p.m. (CST), Tuesday, Jan. 23, inside Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
• That game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• The Cougars return to Fertitta Center to play host to Kansas State at 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 27.
• That game can be seen on ESPN or ESPN2
• From there, the Cougars close the month of January when they meet rv/rv Texas at 8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 29, inside Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
• That game will be show on ESPN.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective, giving to Houston Rise and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

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.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as 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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