This Saturday night at 9:30 pm ET the Bearcats will travel to Houston, Texas to play the #264nd rated (RPI) Houston Cougars. Houston is coming off of a tough road loss to South Florida, a team with a slightly higher RPI at #237. Unfortunately for Houston, they are still coached by Kelvin Sampson and they are 9-16 overall (1-12 in the AAC). The game will air on ESPNU.
The first time around this year UC beat the Cougars 67-54. For a full breakdown of Houston check this out.
Since the first meeting UC has gone cold, playing .500 basketball at 4-4. Houston has remained icy at 2-5. This is a chance for the Bearcats to get back on track. Houston’s home game environment is arguably the worst in the AAC. In the games that have been televised, I (and the rest of the viewing audience) have observed paltry attendance. The Bearcats’ offense is searching for any form of rhythm. The Houston defense can probably help with that, currently ranked 9th in the conference and 89th in the country, giving up 67.1 points per game.
Prediction: Bearcats bounce back 60-50.
By Andy Smith