PREVIEW: #6/6 Houston Men’s Basketball Faces #13/13 Arizona on Saturday

TUCSON, Ariz. – Winners of its last three and 16 of its last 17 games, #6/6 University of Houston Men's Basketball program heads west to meet #13/13 Arizona at Noon (MST) / 1 p.m. (CST) Saturday inside McKale Memorial Center in the first meeting of the two schools as Big 12 Conference rivals.

Saturday's game features the Top-Two teams in the Big 12 standings with Houston leading the league with a 12-1 conference mark and Arizona only a game back at 11-2.

Houston enters this weekend's game following a 76-65 win over rv/rv Baylor inside Fertitta Center on Monday. Graduate guard LJ Cryer led the Cougars with 14 points and four 3-pointers while junior point guard Milos Uzan posted 12 points with a game-high six assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals with no turnovers in more than 34 minutes. It was Houston's 35th win in its last 36 home contests.

In addition to their winning ways at home, the Cougars own the nation's longest active road winning streak at 10 consecutive games (through Feb. 12) dating back to Feb. 3, 2024.

This season, Cryer leads the Cougars with 14.3 points per game and ranks among the Big 12 Top-Three leaders in both 3-point field goals made (2.3, 3^rd) and 3-point field goal percentage (41.0, 2^nd).

Graduate forward J'Wan Roberts tops the Cougars with 6.5 rebounds per game and stands fourth in the league with a 54.5 field goal percentage. The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, native became the 52^nd member of Houston's career 1,000-Point Club earlier this season and holds school career records in wins (136), Fertitta Center wins (74) and games played (159).

NATION'S LONGEST ACTIVE ROAD WINNING STREAKS

Rk.	No.	School
1.	10	Houston
2.	8	Alabama
3.	7	Central Connecticut State
t4.	6	Drake
	6	Auburn
	6	Chattanooga
	6	Cornell
	6	Southeastern Louisiana
	6	Little Rock
t10.	5	George Mason
	5	Akron
	5	Creighton
	5	Towson
	5	Jacksonville
	5	Bryant

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on ESPN with Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) calling.
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play). The pregame show begins at 12:45 p.m. (CST), Saturday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Saturday's game by clicking here.

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.

ABOUT ARIZONA
• Arizona brings a 17-7 overall record and 11-2 mark in Big 12 Conference play into Saturday's game.
• The Wildcats are ranked #13 in both the Associated Press (701 pts) and USA TODAY Sports Coaches (367 pts.) polls, released Monday.
• Arizona stands in second in the Big 12 standings, one game behind Houston through Feb. 14.
• The Wildcats are 11-1 in home games played in McKale Memorial Center this season.
• Arizona has won six of its last seven games but saw its six-game winning streak snapped in a 73-70 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday night.
• Against Kansas State, sophomore guard KJ Lewis came off the bench to lead the Wildcats with 15 points and added eight rebounds with two assists. Junior guard Jaden Bradley totaled 13 points with four rebounds, four assists and two steals while sophomore forward Henri Veesaar finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds with three steals. Junior forward Tobe Awaka posted 10 points with five rebounds, and freshman guard Carter Bryant led all players with 11 rebounds.
• This season, fifth-year guard Caleb Love leads Arizona with 15.8 points per game. Bradley stands second with 11.9 points per game but leads the Wildcats with 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. Lewis is third on the team with 10.5 points per game while Awaka is tops with 7.9 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Tommy Lloyd is in his fourth season at Arizona and as a collegiate head coach.
• Lloyd has built a 105-27 record during his career
• Lloyd has an 0-1 record against Houston during his career.
• Lloyd has an 0-1 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers with the previous meeting coming Sampson's Houston and Lloyd's Arizona tenures.
• 1998 graduate of Whitman.

SERIES HISTORY vs. ARIZONA
• After 12 games, the series against Arizona is tied at 6-6.
• Saturday's game will be the first time Houston has faced the Wildcats on the hardwood since the 2021-22 season.
• Arizona has won three of the last four games. However, Houston can boast of the most recent success after taking a 72-60 win during the NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 inside AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on March 24, 2022.
• In the first meeting against Arizona, Houston claimed an 81-76 win in Tucson, Ariz., on Dec. 22, 1967.
on Road: Arizona holds a 4-1 lead in the series in games played in Tucson, Ariz.
• Arizona has won the last four meetings in Tucson, including a 96-90 win in overtime on Jan. 24, 2009, in the Cougars' most recent road encounter.
• In the first road meeting at Arizona, Houston took an 81-76 victory in Tucson, Ariz., on Dec. 22, 1967.

UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, Houston continues its road swing out west when it meets Arizona State at 8 p.m. (CST), Tuesday, Feb. 18, inside Desert Financial Arena. That game will air on ESPN2.
• From there, Houston returns to Fertitta Center to play host to #10/10 Iowa State at 1 p.m., Saturday. That game will air on ESPN.
• The Cougars then meet #12/12 Texas Tech for the second time this season with an 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 24, showdown inside United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. That game will air 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 – 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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