Connecticut @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 14, 2019 ) Houston 71, Connecticut 63

Houston set a program record with 29 regular-season wins and the top-seeded Cougars hope to begin making more history when they take on ninth seed Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday in Memphis, Tenn. Houston clinched its first regular-season league title since the 1991-92 Southwest Conference after winning at second-place Cincinnati 85-69 on Sunday.

“These kids, from day one, have bought into it,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters. “Our culture, our rebounding, our toughness, making good decisions. … we’ve gotten better as the season went on. Twenty-nine and two is mind-boggling. I get that. But 8-1 on the road in this league is what I’m most impressed with.” Senior guard Corey Davis Jr., a unanimous first-team pick in the American, leads the way for the 10th-ranked Cougars and has been especially productive down the stretch while averaging 23.3 points over the past four games. Davis will need another big game against the dangerous Huskies, who drained 13-of-24 from 3-point range to take a big lead before holding on for an 80-73 victory over South Florida in the first round Thursday. UConn’s junior guard Christian Vital made 6-of-9 from behind the arc to finish with a game-high 25 points against USF and is averaging 22.3 on 14-of-22 shooting from long range over his last three games.

TV: Noon ET, ESPN2

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (16-16): Senior guard Jalen Adams has made a big difference since returning from a seven-game absence with a knee injury, averaging 16 points and 8.5 assists in wins over East Carolina and USF. Adams tops the team in scoring overall (17.0) while Vital is next (14.4), but sophomore guard Alterique Gilbert (12.6) has been ruled out of the tournament due to a concussion and an eye injury. Senior guard Tarin Smith scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting Thursday, his first double-digit performance since scoring 10 against Houston on Feb. 14.

ABOUT HOUSTON (29-2): Sampson, the league’s coach of the year, told reporters: “Corey Davis is the best two-way player in this league, plays both ends with the same voracity. Corey’s been consistently good. He never had a bad practice, never had a bad game.” Junior guard Armoni Brooks provides strong scoring support for Davis, averaging 13.7 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds while connecting on 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore guard DeJon Jarreau was named Sixth Man of the Year in the American and averaged 12.4 points the past five games.

TIP-INS

1. Houston freshman G Nate Hinton registered his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds Sunday.

2. UConn sophomore F Josh Carlton was scoreless Thursday after averaging 19 points in the previous three contests.

3. Cougars senior G Galen Robinson Jr. leads the team in assists (5.1) and has been part of 99 wins in his career - second in program history.

PREDICTION: Houston 78, Connecticut 68