PREVIEW: #15/13 Men’s Basketball Meets Troy on Tuesday

HOUSTON – Fresh off a dominating win the #15/13 University of Houston Men's Basketball program continues its homestand to open the month of December when it meets Troy at 7 p.m., Tuesday, inside Fertitta Center.

Houston enters Tuesday's game following an impressive 79-51 win over Butler during the Big 12-Big East Challenge inside Fertitta Center on Saturday. It was the second straight win the Cougars claimed in the series after taking a road win at Xavier in 2023.

Against the Bulldogs, graduate guard LJ Cryer poured in 20 points – his second straight 20-point effort – with four 3-pointers with junior guard Emanuel Sharp adding 16 points thanks to four treys of his own. Graduate guard J'Wan Roberts snared 12 rebounds for the second straight game, and sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux added 14 points with a game-high three steals in the win.

With Saturday's win, Robert broke out of a tie with former forward Fabian White Jr. and became the winningest student-athlete in program history. The St. Thomas, V.I., native owns a 122-22 record in his Houston career.

This season, Cryer leads the Cougars with 15.3 points per game with Sharp a close second at 14.6 points per contest. Both rank among the Big 12 Conference's Top-20 scoring leaders.

Sharp leads the Cougars, ranks second in the Big 12 and eighth in the nation with a 53.3 3-point field goal percentage and tops Houston with 3.0 treys per game.

Cryer has made all but one of his 23 free throw attempts in 2024-25 and ranks ninth in the nation with a 95.7 free throw percentage.

2024 Salute to Service Game, vs. Troy

PROMOTIONS
• Tuesday will be the Cougars' Military Appreciation Game.
• Shasta and Sasha Claus will be available for pregame photos in the Cub Zone on the concourse behind Section 108.
• Prior to the game, retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Promise Harris will perform the national anthem.
• At halftime, a military medley will be played, and future American soldiers will be sworn in during the military oath ceremony.

WELCOME BACK, #0
Former guard Kelvin Lewis returns to the University of Houston campus as assistant coach and director of player development for Troy.

Lewis competed for the Cougars from 2007 to 2010 under Head Coach Tom Penders and his father, Assistant Coach Kevin Lewis, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 Conference USA Tournament as the Cougars returned to the NCAA Tournament following a 17-year absence.

In the Cougars' only previous meeting against Troy, Lewis scored 24 points, thanks to 7-of-9 shooting from the 3-point line, and grabbed six rebounds with three assists during his senior season in 2009-10.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Cougars enter Saturday's game as winners of their last 26 home games inside Fertitta Center. That ties with UConn as the nation's longest active winning streak.

Houston owns a 97-6 record inside Fertitta Center since the facility opened Dec. 1, 2018.

A year ago, the Cougars posted a perfect 17-0 home record, the 11^th undefeated home season in school history

NATIONAL POLLS
• The Cougars stood at #15 in the Associated Press poll and checked in at #13 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches polls released Monday
• This marked the 91^st consecutive week in which Houston was ranked, the nation's longest active streak and extending its school record.
• Houston is 15-4 when playing as the #15 (AP) team during its history and has won six of its last seven games as the #15(AP) team.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Tuesday's game on ESPN+ with Matt Thomas (play-by-play), Ryan Hollins (analyst) and Vanessa Richardson (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Tuesday's Men's Basketball game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling. Fans also can hear the game on Sirius XM Ch. 139 or Ch. 198. The pregame show begins at 6:45 p.m., Tuesday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Tuesday's game by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

ABOUT TROY
• Troy brings a 5-3 record into Tuesday's game inside Fertitta Center.
• The Trojans have won three of their last four games. Only a 72-68 home loss to Merrimack on Nov. 29 prevents a longer winning streak.
• In its most recent action, Troy took an 84-74 win over Eastern Kentucky in Troy, Ala., on Dec. 1.
• Against Eastern Kentucky, sophomore forward Myles Rigsby led all players with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbed three rebounds with three assists and a pair of steals. Junior forward Jerrell Bellamy posted 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line while senior guard Tayton Conerway and freshman guard Cooper Campbell chipped in with 10 points apiece. Conerway led Troy with five assists while Bellamy grabbed a game-high five rebounds.
• This season, Rigsby leads Troy with 14.0 points per game. Conerway stands second with 9.8 points per game but leads the Trojans with 4.8 assists per contest. Sophomore forward Thomas Dowd is tops with 5.0 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Scott Cross is in his sixth season at Troy and his 18th year as a collegiate head coach.
• Butler has posted an 85-79 record at Troy and a 310-240 mark during his career.
• He previously compiled a 225-161 record at UT Arlington (2006-18).
• Tuesday's game will be the first time Cross has faced Houston.
• Tuesday's game will be the first time Cross has faced Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 1998 graduate of UT Arlington.

SERIES HISTORY vs. TROY
• Houston owns a 1-0 lead in the series history against Troy.
• In the lone previous meeting, the Cougars took a 93-85 win over the Trojans inside Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Dec. 14, 2009.
at Home: Houston owns a 1-0 record in the series against Troy in games played on the Cougars' home court.
in Fertitta Center: Tuesday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Troy in Fertitta Center during the series history.

UP NEXT
• Following Tuesday's game, Houston continues its homestand when it plays host to Toledo in Fertitta Center at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 18.
• That game will air on ESPN+
• Houston closes its December homestand when it faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1 p.m., Dec. 21, inside Fertitta Center.
• That game will air on CBS Sports Network.
• From there, the Cougars open Big 12 Conference play when they meet Oklahoma State at 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 30, inside Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
• That game can be seen on ESPN+.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.

BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.

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 – 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.

– UHCougars.com –

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