Southern Methodist @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 7, 2019 ) Southern Methodist 79, Houston 90

Houston and SMU were each on a roll entering road games last weekend, only to suffer narrow losses that brought an end to their respective six- and four-game winning streaks. However, Houston has dominated the series of late and bids for its fifth straight win over the visiting Mustangs on Wednesday night in an American Athletic Conference matchup.

The Cougars appeared en route to a seventh consecutive victory before unraveling down the stretch in a 63-61 loss at Tulsa, blowing a six-point lead in the final five minutes. "In every game we lost this season, we were out-toughed, and that doesn't happen a lot," said coach Kelvin Sampson after his team missed its final seven shots while mustering only one free throw. SMU squandered an 11-point lead before losing on a late 3-pointer at East Carolina, but coach Tim Jankovich is more focused on what he calls a "big opportunity game" at Houston. “Because they are an outstanding team in a venue they do not lose many games in," Jankovich told reporters. "Obviously it would be a huge plus for postseason moving forward.”

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT SMU (12-3, 2-1 AAC): Transfer Kendric Davis continues to play superbly at the point despite struggling with his shot at East Carolina, leading the team in scoring at 16.3 points after averaging 17.5 points in two games last week. Davis leads the AAC in assists at 7.2 per game and has at least five in 10 straight contests -- the longest by an SMU player in 34 years. While forwards Isiaha Mike and Feron Hunt both are scoring in double figures, they average a combined 15 rebounds and will be pivotal on the boards.

ABOUT HOUSTON (12-4, 2-1): After a woeful two-point effort in the AAC opener, freshman Caleb Mills bounced back in impressive fashion, scoring 23 points at Temple and following that with a 22-point effort against Tulsa. However, Mills received almost zero support from the rest of the starting rotation, which combined for a paltry seven points. "We have always had shooters, but we don't have those snipers," Sampson said. "You have to figure out how to win another way. We have pummeled people on the offensive glass."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Cougars lead the nation in rebound margin at 11.6 per game.

2. Davis is shooting 93.1 percent at the free-throw line for SMU, which ranks fifth nationally at 79.0 percent.

3. Houston is 67-11 at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.

PREDICTION: Houston 77, SMU 73