PREVIEW: #1/1 Houston Men’s Basketball Meets UCF on Wednesday

ORLANDO, Fla. – Winners of 12 of its last 13 games, the #1/1 University of Houston Men's Basketball program meets UCF in its final regular-season road game at 6 p.m. (CST) Wednesday, inside Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Fla.

The Cougars begin the final week of the regular season with a one-game lead over Iowa State with two games remaining.

Houston enters Wednesday's game following a tough 87-85 win over rv/rv Oklahoma inside Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., on Saturday night.

Senior guard LJ Cryer led the Cougars with 23 points and five 3-pointers while senior forward J'Wan Roberts added 20 points and five rebounds in the win. With the score tied late, senior point guard Jamal Shead buried a short baseline jumper with 0.4 seconds left to lift the Cougars to the win.

This season, Cryer leads the Cougars and ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 15.5 points per game. The Morton Ranch High School product also leads the league with 3.0 3-pointers per game and is among the Big 12 Top 10 in field goal percentage (40.8, 8^th) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.8, 5^th).

Roberts leads the Cougars and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 6.9 rebounds per game. The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, native is one of only three student-athletes to rank among the league's Top-10 leaders in both offensive and defensive rebounding and has grabbed 6+ rebounds in 21 games this season.

Shead has been recognized as one of the nation's elite point guards in 2023-24. The Manor, Texas, native was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award earlier this week and is the only student-athlete in the country to rank among the Top-20 individual leaders in assists per game (6.1, 19^th), steals per game (2.3, 14^th) AND assist-turnover ratio (3.11, 19^th).

He became the first Cougar in program history to record 100+ wins, 1,200+ points, 600+ assists and 200+ steals during his career and is the only Cougar to record a points-rebounds AND points-assists double-double in 2023-24.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Wednesday's game on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Drew Fellios (play-by-play) and B.J. Taylor (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Wednesday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) calling the action. The pregame show begins at 5:45 p.m. (CST), Wednesday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

IN the NATIONAL RANKINGS
• For the second straight week, Houston was at #1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches' Top 25 polls, released Monday.
• This was the 20th week in which the Cougars were ranked #1 in the AP poll during the program's history and the ninth under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson.
• This is the second straight season in which Houston held the top spot for at least one week in the AP poll, a first in program history.
• The 2023-24 Cougars are the fourth team to hold the #1 position in the AP poll in the program history, joining the 1967-68, 1982-83 and 2022-23 squads.
• This was the 227th week in which Houston Men's Basketball was ranked in the AP Top 25.
• This marked the 82nd consecutive week in which the Cougars were ranked in the AP poll, a school record and the nation's longest active streak.
• This was the 37th straight week in which Houston Men's Basketball was ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll, another school record.
• This was the 14th consecutive week in which Houston was ranked in the AP Top Five, the third longest streak in school history.

ABOUT UCF
• UCF brings a 15-13 overall record and 6-10 Big 12 mark into Wednesday's game in Orlando, Fla.
• Through games of March 3, UCF was tied with Cincinnati for 11th in the latest league standings.
• The Knights are 11-6 in home games inside Addition Financial Arena this season.
• UCF has won two of its last three games. However, the Knights dropped their most recent contest with a 60-52 loss in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday.
• Against Iowa State, junior guard Jaylin Sellers led UCF with 13 points while fifth-year guard Shemarri Allen posted 11 points with two rebounds and two steals. Junior guard Darius Johnson totaled 10 points with two assists, four steals and a pair of rebounds.
• This season, Sellers leads UCF with 16.2 points per game. Johnson stands second on the team with 14.1 points per game but leads the Knights with 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per contest. Fifth-year forward Ibrahima Diallo paces the team with 5.7 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Johnny Dawkins is in his eighth season at UCF and his 16th year as a collegiate head coach.
• Dawkins has posted a 146-100 record with UCF and is 302-215 during his career.
• Dawkins previously built a 156-115 record at Stanford (2008-16).
• Dawkins has posted a 3-12 record against Houston during his carer. That includes a 2-12 record and a 1-0 mark with Stanford.
• Dawkins has posted a 2-12 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 holds a 23-11 lead against UCF in the series, which began during the 2005-06 season.
• Wednesday's game is the second of two regular-season meetings against UCF during the 2023-24 season. Houston claimed a 57-42 win inside Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 20.
• Houston has won the last eight meetings and 12 of the last 13 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 squared off as American Athletic Conference foes from 2013-14 through 2022-23.
• In the most recent meeting against UCF, Houston took a 57-42 win inside Fertitta Center in Houston on Jan. 20.
• In the first meeting against UCF, the Knights claimed a 66-56 win inside Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Jan. 14, 2006.
on Road: Houston holds an 8-6 lead in the series against UCF in true road games played in Orlando, Fla.
• Houston has won the last five meetings in Orlando, Fla., and six of the last seven. Only a 77-70 UCF win on Jan. 14, 2017, prevents a longer streak.
• In the most recent road encounter, Houston enioyed an 82-71 win inside Addition Financial Arena on Jan. 25, 2023.
in Orlando: Houston holds a 9-6 lead in the series against UCF in games played in Orlando, Fla.
• In addition to an 8-6 road record on the Knights' home court, Houston took an 84-56 win inside the American Athletic Conference Championship Quarterfinals inside Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on March 9, 2018.

UP NEXT
• Following Wednesday's game, the Cougars close their regular season and celebrate Senior Day when they play host to #14/15 Kansas inside Fertitta Center on Saturday, March 9. That game will air on ESPN.
• Guards LJ Cryer, Jamal Shead, Damian Dunn, Mylik Wilson and Ryan Elvin and senior forward J'Wan Roberts will be recognized. Pregame Senior Day activities begin at 2:30 p.m., Saturday.
• From there, the Cougars will compete in their first Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. That journey begins in the Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 14, inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
• Houston's seeding as well as its Quarterfinal opponent, game time and broadcasting network will be finalized with the completion of the regular season
• 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.

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