Houston @ Providence preview
Mohegan Sun Arena
In his third year at the helm, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has revamped a dormant program with consecutive strong recruiting classes and third-place finishes in the American Athletic Conference. With the conference opener just over a week away, the Cougars look to put another notch on their NCAA Tournament resume when they play Providence in the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Houston is off to a 9-2 start, including 2-1 against teams from major conferences, and is coming off a 92-72 comeback win over Prairie View A&M on Sunday. Sophomore guard Armoni Brooks poured in a career-high 24 points with six 3-pointers - including three straight during a key stretch midway through the second half as the Cougars closed on a 31-10 run. “I was playing more offensive coordinator and everything I was calling came out great because Armoni was making it,” Sampson told reporters after the game. “We were running a lot of misdirections where the play was going one way and he was coming off the pin-down on the weak side. … He is the best contested shooter on our team because of his arm length and athleticism.” Providence overcame a double-digit second-half deficit capped off by a pair of free throws by Rodney Bullock to defeat Stony Brook 62-60 on Sunday as freshman Nate Watson scored a career-high 15 points, while junior Isaiah Jackson added 13 and had five rebounds.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU
ABOUT HOUSTON (9-2): Junior point guard Corey Davis Jr. (11 points per game, 46.6 percent 3-point shooting), an All-American last year at San Jacinto Junior College (Tex.), finished with 15 points Sunday, sinking 4-of-7 beyond the arc. The Cougars are led by senior guard Rob Gray (20.4 points per game, 3.9 assists, 44.2 3-point shooting), who led the AAC in scoring last season at 20.6 points and has reached double figures in scoring in 41 straight games. Senior 6-6 forward Devin Davis, the only frontcourt returnee from a 21-win team, is second on the team in scoring (12.9) and leads the squad in rebounding (7.4).
ABOUT PROVIDENCE (8-3): With three guards out with leg injuries, Providence coach Ed Cooley turned to 6-7 former walk-on Tom Planek to play the head of the full-court press when the Friars fell behind by 11, and although he didn’t score and registered just one steal in five minutes, the Friars scored 12 straight points to take the lead for good. “Coaches trust, and I’ve seen it for four years with Tom,” Cooley told the Providence Journal. “In practice, he’s always prepared. He’s somebody who epitomizes unselfishness, because it’s not about him. It’s about winning. It’s a lesson to everybody in our locker room.” The 6-7 Bullock leads the team in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (6.5), but the Friars will be in trouble if guards Alpha Diallo (11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds) and Kyron Cartwright (9.4 points, 6.0 assists) can’t return from ankle injuries.
TIP-INS
1. Houston defeated the Friars 102-89 on Dec. 20, 1965, in the only meeting between the schools.
2. Diallo and Maliek White (left knee) each missed a second straight game on Sunday, and Cartwright left early in the second half. All three are listed as day-to-day.
3. The Friars are second in the Big East in 3-point accuracy, connecting on 75-of-184 attempts for a 40.8-percent mark.
PREDICTION: Houston 81, Providence 74