No. 10 Houston will look to build on its 15-game home winning streak but will have its hands full when it hosts gritty Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 Conference game.
If the first meeting between the teams this season – a 67-60 victory by the Cougars in Cincinnati on Jan. 3 that took until the final minute to decide – is any indication, the rematch should be a barnburner.
Houston (18-2, 6-1 Big 12) returns home after a splitting a grueling two-game road trip. The Cougars got back on the winning track with a 79-70 victory over TCU in Fort Worth on Wednesday that followed a 90-86 loss at No.12 Texas Tech on Saturday.
Kingston Flemings poured in 27 points in Wednesday’s win – a solid follow up to his career-high 42-point output in the loss to Texas Tech and his third consecutive game with at least 20 points. Emanuel Sharp added 23 while Milos Uzan finished with 10 points and Chris Cenac Jr. had eight points and 14 rebounds for Houston.
Cenac’s boards were half of the Cougars overall total of 28, and his production was key for a Houston team that thrives on second-chance points.
The Cougars took charge midway through the first half and fended off a handful of runs by TCU. The Horned Frogs pulled to within one possession with about 8 1/2 minutes left before Flemings answered with seven of the Cougars’ next 10 points; Houston never the lead to get to less than two possessions the rest of the way.
“Our guys were tough,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “To win on the road, you don’t have to be great, you have to be tough. We were tough enough to win on the road. I was proud of the way our guys responded in a tough environment. It’s a great experience for (the team). They need to see that.”
The Bearcats (11-10, 3-5) head to the Bayou City after a 67-57 win at home over Baylor on Wednesday. Baba Miller racked up 18 points and 17 rebounds, Jizzle James added 17 points and Moustapha Thiam hit for 14 to help short-handed Cincinnati snap a two-game losing streak.
“The recent stretch of losing games was not a characteristic of who we’ve been and how we’ve been approaching it so bouncing back was important,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said. “I’m really pleased with the guys – it just feels like we’ve had so many of them going through medical things. We just kind of gutted it out.”
The double-double was Miller’s ninth of the season. “Rebounding, especially offensively, is such a conscious effort,” Miller said. “I feel I just have to stay in that mindset.”
The Bearcats never trailed in Wednesday’s game, led by as many as 18 and won for just the third time in their last eight outings. Cincinnati played the game without shooting guard Shon Abaev (sore knee), and defensive stopper Sencire Harris, who was out with an illness. Harris should see the court against the Cougars on Saturday.
