PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Meets Gonzaga in Second Round on Saturday

WICHITA, Kan. – Fresh off a dominating win, the #2/2 (1) University of Houston Men's Basketball faces #24/23 (8) Gonzaga during the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Second Round at 7:40 p.m., Saturday, inside INTRUST Bank Arena.

The Cougars and the Bulldogs are among the national leaders in wins during the last eight years and rank 1-2 in consecutive active NCAA Sweet 16 appearances entering Friday's contest (Gonzaga 9, Houston 5).

Despite the recent success by both schools, Saturday's game will be the first time that Houston has faced Gonzaga on the hardwood.

Houston earned its place in the Second Round with a 78-40 win over SIUE on Thursday afternoon. Junior point guard Milos Uzan led all players with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added three assists without a turnover while graduate guard LJ Cryer totaled 15 points, thanks to a game-high four 3-pointers. For the third straight postseason game, graduate guard Mylik Wilson led/tied for the team lead with nine rebounds.

The 40 points allowed by the Cougars in Thursday's win was a school NCAA Tournament record low. It topped the previous low of 46 points in an 86-46 win over (16) Longwood during the NCAA Tournament South Region First Round inside FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on March 22, 2024.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Cougars are competing in the 26^th NCAA Tournament in school history in 2025.
• This marks the first time in school history that Houston will compete in seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
• This marks the third consecutive season in which the Cougars play as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• With Thursday's win, Houston is 41-30 all-time at the NCAA Tournament with Final Four appearances in 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 2021.
• The Cougars advanced to the NCAA National Championship Game in 1983 before bowing out to NC State (in one of the most memorable games in NCAA Tournament history) and in 1984 against Georgetown, respectively.
• Houston has advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 or farther in each of the last five years. That is the nation's second longest active streak and trails only Gonzaga.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on TNT with Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Debbie Antonelli (analyst), Steve Smith (analyst) and AJ Ross (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 7:25 p.m., Saturday.
• Fans also can hear Saturday's game on Westwood One and on Sirius XM Radio with Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Casey Jacobsen (analyst) calling.
• Fans can follow live stats from Saturday's game by clicking here.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HUB
For more information about pregame activities, hotel send-off, UHAA pep rallies and more, fans can visit the Cougars' Tournament Hub by clicking here.

Milos Uzan, Hotel Send Off, NCAA Tournament Second Round

Milos Uzan, Hotel Send Off, NCAA Tournament Second Round

TEAM HOTEL SEND-OFF
• Fans can send the Cougars off from their team hotel beginning at 5 p.m., Saturday.
• Fans can cheer for the Cougars as they make their way to the team bus from the lobby of Ambassador Hotel (104 South Broadway Ave., Wichita, KS 67202).

NCAA Tournament Second Round Schedule

SECOND ROUND PREGAME MEET-UP
• Following the team send off, fans are invited to prepare for tip off with fellow Cougar fans at the official University of Houston Alumni Association pregame party
• The fun begins at the Party Out Front at the Arena District (525 East Waterman St., Wichita, KS 67202), beginning at 5:30 p.m., Saturday.

MARCH MADNESS FAN FEST at NAFTZGER PARK
• Houston fans are welcome to join the March Madness Fan Fest at Naftzger Park (601 East Douglas, Wichita, KS 67202).
• The event features a DJ, food trucks, alcohol vendor, family-friendly games, and a Big-Screen Digital Board that will be showing the games.
• The fun begins at 10 a.m., and lasts until 10 p.m., Saturday.

ABOUT GONZAGA
• Gonzaga brings a 26-8 overall record and 14-4 mark in West Coast Conference play into Friday's NCAA Tournament Second Round game.
• The Bulldogs finished second in the regular season and won back-to-back games at the West Coast Conference Championship to win the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• Gonzaga is 35-4 in neutral-site games and 13-6 in non-home games during the 2024-25 season.
• The Bulldogs have won their last five and 10 of their last 11 games. Only a 74-67 loss to Saint Mary's (Calif.) on Feb. 22 prevents a longer streak.
• In its most recent action, Gonzaga took an 89-68 win over (9) Georgia during the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region First Round inside INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan., on Thursday.
• Graduate guard Khalif Battle totaled 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added eight rebounds with a pair of assists. Sophomore forward Braden Huff and senior guard Nolan Hickman tallied 18 points apiece with Huff tying Battle for game-high honors with eight boards. Senior forward Graham Ike added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with four rebounds and two assists.
• This season, Ike leads five Bulldogs in double-digit points with 17.0 points per game with team highs of 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. Battle stands second with 13.5 points per game while Hickman is third with 11.2 points per contest. Huff (11.0 ppg) and senior guard Ryan Nembhard (10.6) round out the Top-Five scoring leaders.
• Head Coach Mark Few is in his 26th season at Gonzaga and as a collegiate head coach.
• Few has built a 741-151 record during his career.
• Saturday's game will be the first time that Few has faced Houston during his career.
• Few is 0-1 against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers with the lone previous meeting coming during Sampson's Indiana tenure.
• 1987 graduate of Oregon.

SERIES HISTORY vs. GONZAGA
• Saturday's game will be the first time that Houston has faced Gonzaga on the hardwood.

UP NEXT
• With a win over Gonzaga on Saturday, Houston would advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the sixth consecutive season, a school record.
• The Cougars would face the winner from (4) Purdue/(12) McNeese inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis., on Friday, March 28.
• Game time and broadcasting network will be announced following Saturday's NCAA Tournament games.

BUY 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 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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