PREVIEW: #2/2 (1) Men’s Hoops Ready for NCAA Sweet 16 on Friday

DALLAS – For the fifth consecutive season, #2/2 (1) Houston will compete in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 when it faces #13/14 (4) Duke around 8:35 p.m., Friday, inside American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The Cougars earned their trip to the Sweet 16 after a tough 100-95 win in overtime against (9) Texas A&M during the Round of 32 inside FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. on Sunday. Sophomore guard Emanuel Sharp poured in a career-high 30 points and seven 3-pointers to lead all players while senior point guard Jamal Shead added 21 points with a game-high 10 assists for his team-leading fifth double-double of the season.

Houston joins Gonzaga as the only NCAA Division I teams with Sweet 16 appearances in each of the last five Tournaments.

Under the leadership of Big 12 Coach of the Year and Henry Iba National Coach of the Year recipient Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars have been ranked among the nation's Top Seven in both polls throughout the season and have been in the Top 25 in each of the last 84 weeks, a school record and the longest active streak in the country.

Senior guard LJ Cryer leads the Cougars with 15.5 points per game and tops the Big 12 with 3.1 3-pointers per game. The Katy, Texas, native and Morton Ranch High School product became the eighth player in school history to drain 100+ treys in a single season.

Shead is a unanimous consensus First-Team All-American in 2023-24 after averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The Manor, Texas, native is a Finalist for both the Jersey Mike's Naismith National Player of the Year and the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year and became the first player in Big 12 history to win the league's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.

Senior forward J'Wan Roberts leads Houston with 6.8 rebounds per game and is one of only three student-athletes to rank among the Big 12 Top-10 leaders in both offensive and defensive rebounding. He recently moved past 800 rebounds in his award-winning collegiate career, becoming only the 10^th Cougar in school history to reach that total.

With his 3-point barrage against the Aggies last weekend, Sharp ranks among the Big 12's Top-10 leaders in 3-point field goals per game and 3-point field goal percentage.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Friday's game on CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Friday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling the action. The pregame show begins at 8:24 p.m., Friday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting NCAA.com/march-madness and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

ABOUT DUKE
• Duke brings a 26-8 overall record and 15-6 ACC mark into Friday's NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 game.
• The Blue Devils are ranked #13 in the latest Associated Press poll and at #14 in the most recent USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll.
• Duke finished second in the ACC regular-season standings, two games behind league champion North Carolina. The Blue Devils fell in the ACC Championship Quarterfinals to NC State.
• Duke is 4-1 in neutral-site games and 11-5 in non-home games in 2023-24.
• The Blue Devils have won their last two games entering Friday's contest.
• In its most recent action, Duke took a 93-55 win over (12) James Madison in Brooklyn on Sunday.
• Against James Madison, freshman guard Jared McCain posted 10 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, including 8-of-11 from the arc. Sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor totaled 18 points with three rebounds and five assists while senior guard Jeremy Roach posted 15 points with a game-high six assists. Graduate center Ryan Young and freshman forward Sean Stewart led all players with six rebounds. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski added 14 points with five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
• This season, Filipowski leads Duke with 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Jon Scheyer is in his second season at Duke and as a collegiate head coach.
• Scheyer has posted 53-17 record with Duke and during his career.
• Friday's game will be the first time Scheyer has faced Houston during his career.
• Friday's game will be the first time Scheyer has faced Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 2010 graduate of Duke.

SERIES HISTORY vs. DUKE
• Friday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Duke in Men's Basketball.

UP NEXT
• With a win over #13/14 (4) Duke on Friday, Houston will advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the eighth time in school history and the third time in the last four years.
• There, the Cougars would face the winner of #8/8 (2) Marquette-(11) James Madison inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, March 29.
• Game time and broadcasting networks for the Elite Eight will be announced following Friday's games.
• 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 – 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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