Texas State @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 8, 2013 ) Texas State 70, Houston 76

Houston gets back into action Wednesday at home against Texas State after last playing on Thanksgiving night. The Cougars celebrated the holiday with a 112-73 rout of Houston Baptist, the fourth-most points scored in American Athletic Conference history and the team's highest point total since a 131-62 win over Florida Tech on Nov. 22, 2005.

That offensive success has been a key for the Cougars all season as the team is averaging 86 points a game, eighth best in the nation. "You know, I am a little bit surprised in our offensive stats," head coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters. "I mean, we're averaging 86 points a game. We're shooting almost 50 percent from the floor, but I think that's indicative of what these kids are good at: They can score. They're not great shooters, but they can score." Houston has scored 84 points or more in each of the team's three wins compared with 71 and 66 in losses to BYU and Oregon, respectively. Texas State will look to shut down that offense as the Bobcats come in sporting the country's 21st-ranked scoring defense (58.6 ppg) after defeating Hartford 69-55 to end the Southwestern Showdown with a perfect 4-0 record.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT TEXAS STATE (6-2): Senior guard Nijal Pearson ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference with 18.1 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor and he was named the Southwestern Showdown tournament MVP after averaging 17.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in the four games. Sophomore guard Mason Harrell is scoring 10.1 points per game and is the most efficient shooter on the Bobcats as he connects on 59.2 percent of his field goals and 45.5 percent from 3-point range. Opponents are hitting just 35.3 percent of their shots against the Bobcats, ninth best in the nation.

ABOUT HOUSTON (3-2): The Cougars' high-scoring offense features six players averaging double figures, led by sophomore guard Quentin Grimes (16 ppg), who is connecting on 51.9 percent of his shots from the field despite hitting just 6-of-21 from downtown, and he also is leading the way with 19 assists. Junior forward Fabian White Jr. is averaging 12 points on 54 percent shooting, while freshman guard Marcus Sasser has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 10.2 points a game thanks to nailing 50 percent of his 3-point shots. Led by Nate Hinton (9.0) and White (7.2), the Cougars rank third in the nation with 43.2 rebounds per game, and they rank fifth in rebound margin (+12.4).

TIP-INS

1. Houston has a 12-2 lead in this series, but the teams haven't met since the Cougars prevailed 76-70 in the 2013-14 season opener.

2. The Cougars are giving up 73.6 points per game as opposing teams are hitting 43 percent of their field goals.

3. Sasser hit 6-of-9 3-pointers against Houston Baptist, only the second freshman in Houston history to connect on at least six 3-pointers in a game and the first since Lamar Roberson in the 2005-06 season opener.

PREDICTION: Houston 93, Texas State 77