PREVIEW: #2/2 Men’s Basketball Opens Big 12 Championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After 27 regular-season wins and the Big 12 Conference regular-season title for the second straight year, the #2/2 University of Houston Men's Basketball program begins postseason play when it tips off against (16) Colorado in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Quarterfinals 2 p.m., Thursday, inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Houston enters the postseason following a 65-61 win at Baylor on Saturday to cap the regular season. With that win, Houston became one of the first schools from a major conference to win 19 league games in a single season.

The Cougars also became the first school from a major conference in NCAA history to win all 10 road games in a 20-game league schedule.

PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HUB
For more information about tickets, team hotel send-offs, KC Live! pep rallies, University of Houston Alumni Association pregame meet-ups and more, fans can visit the Cougars' Tournament Hub by clicking here.

KC LIVE! PEP RALLY
• University of Houston fans are invited to join Cougar Brass Cougar Dolls, Cheer and Shasta and Sasha at the team's pregame pep rally for the official UH pep rally.
• The pep rally will begin at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, at the Kansas City Power and Light District. The address for KC Live! Is 13 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64106.

TEAM HOTEL SEND-OFF
• Fans can send the Cougars off at their team hotel beginning at Noon, Thursday.
• Fans can cheer for the Cougars as they make their way to the team bus in the lobby of The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center, located at 1 East Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO 64108

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Thursday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play). The pregame show begins at 1:45 p.m., Thursday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Thursday's game by clicking here.

POSTSEASON CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
• In 2024-25, the Cougars are competing in their conference postseason tournament for the 20th time in the last 21 seasons and the 46th time in the last 48 seasons... Only an absence from the 2020 American Championship (COVID-19 pandemic) and the 2004 Conference USA Championship prevents a perfect streak.
• Houston has posted a 57-39 record during conference postseason tournaments during its history... That includes a 2-1 record in the Big 12; a 14-7 mark in the American Athletic Conference; a 13-15 record in Conference USA play and a 28-16 tally in the Southwest Conference.
• During its conference postseason history, Houston has advanced to the Semifinals 25 times, made 17 Title Game appearances and won eight tournament titles.
vs. Colorado: Thursday's game will be the first time that Houston has faced the Buffaloes at a conference tournament.

ABOUT COLORADO
• Colorado brings a 14-19 overall record and 3-17 mark in Big 12 Conference play into Thursday's Quarterfinal.
• The Buffaloes finished 16th in the Big 12 standings and are playing as the No. 16 seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
• Colorado is 3-2 in neutral site games and 3-12 in non-home games during the 2024-25 season.
• The Buffaloes have won their last three games.
• In its most recent action, Colorado upset its second straight opponent at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, taking a 67-60 win over (8) West Virginia inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday.
• Against West Virginia, the Buffaloes outscored the Mountaineers 44-31 in the second half to erase a 6-point halftime deficit. Graduate center Elijah Malone came off the bench to score 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Sophomore guard RJ Smith totaled 13 points with five rebounds and two blocked shots while graduate forward Andrej Jakimovski posted 11 points with a team-high six rebounds.
• This season, Julian Hammond leads Colorado with 12.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Jakimovski stands second with 10.0 points and 4.875 rebounds per game. Trevor Baskin tops the Buffaloes with 4.879 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Tad Boyle is in his 15th season at Colorado and his 19th season as a collegiate head coach.
• Boyle has built a 368-268 record during his career and is 312-202 during his career at Colorado .
• He previously compiled a 56-66 record at Northern Colorado (2006-10).
• Boyle has an 0-1 record against Houston during his career with the lone previous meeting coming during his Colorado tenure.
• Boyle has an 0-1 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers with the lone previous meeting coming during his Coloraod and Sampson's Houston tenures.
• 1985 graduate of Kansas.

SERIES HISTORY vs. COLORADO
• Houston owns a 4-3 lead against Colorado in the series, which began during the 1963-64 season.
• This is the first season in which the two schools met as Big 12 Conference rivals.
• In the most recent meeting, Houston took a 69-59 win in Boulder, Colo., on Feb. 8.
• In the first meeting against Colorado, the Cougars dropped a 72--61 decision in Boulder, Colo, on Dec. 12, 1963,
at Neutral Site: Thursday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Colorado at a neutral site.
in Conference Championship: Thursday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Colorado at a Conference Championship.

UP NEXT
• With a win Thursday, the Cougars advance to the Semifinals to face the winner of #17/18 (4) BYU / #12/12 (5) Iowa State at 6 p.m., Friday, March 14.
• That game would air on ESPN or ESPN2 and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham calling.

BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Current season-ticket holders can renew their season tickets now through April 30 by clicking here and logging into their accounts.

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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