#1 Men’s Basketball Set for The Battleground 2K22

FORT WORTH, Texas – Fresh off a dominating home win, the top-ranked University of Houston Men's Basketball programs heads north on Interstate 45 to meet –/rv Saint Mary's (Calif.) at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, in the second game of The Battleground 2K22 inside Dickies Arena.

Winners of their first seven games to open the season, the Cougars enter this weekend's game following an impressive 100-52 win over Norfolk State on Tuesday inside the Fertitta Center.

Senior guard and Preseason All-American Marcus Sasser led five Cougars in double digits with 25 points and seven 3-pointers. The Dallas native needs only 19 more points to become the 50^th 1,000-point career scorer in Houston history and leads the Cougars in 2022-23 with 18.1 points per game.

Junior point guard Jamal Shead dished out a season-high 11 assists and added 12 points for his first double-double of the season. The Manor, Texas, native moved past the 300-assist mark in his career with the Cougars and is tied for 21^st in Houston history with Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler.

Shead leads the Cougars and the American Athletic Conference with 6.1 assists per game and stands among the league leaders with a 3.3 assist-turnover ratio.

Freshman forward Jarace Walker tied with sophomore forward Ja'Vier Francis for game-high honors with eight rebounds against the Spartans. Walker leads the Cougars with 7.0 rebounds per game, including 4.4 defensive boards per contest, while Francis tops the team with 1.9 blocked shots per game.

Saturday's game will be part of a doubleheader with Texas A&M facing Boise State at 6 p.m., in the first game.

THE BATTLEGROUND 2K22 TICKETS
Fans may still purchase tickets for The Battleground 2K22 by visiting Ticketmaster.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

HOME AWAY from HOME
• Houston has enjoyed tremendous success inside Dickies Arena during its brief history inside the facility.
• Entering Saturday's game, the Cougars have won eight consecutive games inside Dickies Arena since the 2020-21 season.
• Saturday's game marks the third straight season in which the Cougars will compete inside Dickies Arena.
• The streak began with a 64-53 win over #14/13 Texas Tech during the Southwest Showcase on Nov. 29, 2020. From there, the team captured its first American Athletic Conference Championship title with three straight wins over Tulane (77-52, March 12, 2021); Memphis (76-74, March 13, 2021) and Cincinnati (91-54, March 14, 2021).
• In 2021-22, the Cougars enjoyed a 72-61 win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 18, 2021.
• Houston then defended its American Athletic Conference Championship title with wins over Cincinnati (71-53, March 11, 2022); Tulane (86-66, March 12, 2022) and Memphis (71-53, March 13, 2022).

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on ESPN2 with Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Jon Crispin (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC or The Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Houston Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling the action. The pregame show begins at 8:15 p.m.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

BUY 2022-23 TICKETS
Fans may purchase single-game tickets for the Cougars' 18 regular-season home games inside the Fertitta Center. Supplies are limited, and fans are encouraged to purchase soon before they run out.

To purchase single-game tickets, fans may call the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours or click here any time.

For the third straight season, the Cougars sold out of their season tickets for home games inside the Fertitta Center.

Fans who were unable to purchase season tickets in 2022-23 are invited to join the team's 2023-24 Wait List as the Cougars prepare to enter the Big 12 Conference. To join the 2023-24 season tickets Wait List, fans can click here.

ABOUT SAINT MARY'S (Calif.)
• Saint Mary's (Calif.) brings a 6-2 record in 2022-23 into Saturday's game. The Gaels are 1-1 in neutral-site games and non-home games this season.
• After winning its first six games to open the season, the Gaels have lost their last two contests, including a 69-65 setback at home against New Mexico on Wednesday night in their most recent action.
• Against New Mexico, guard senior guard Alex Ducas led all players with 25 points, thanks to 7-of--10 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior center Mitchell Saxen added 11 points with team highs of nine rebounds and five steals. Freshman guard Aidan Mahaney came off the bench to score 11 points with two rebounds and an assist.
• This season, Ducas and Saxen are tied for the team lead with 14.5 points per game with Saxen's 8.9 rebounds per contest also topping the Gaels. Mahaney stands third with 12.9 rebounds per game, while fifth-year guard Logan Johnson averages 10.0 points. 5.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.9 assists per game.
• Head Coach Randy Bennett is in his 22nd season at Saint Mary's (Calif.) and as a collegiate head coach.
• Bennett has compiled a 486-202 record during his career.
• Saturday's game will be the first time Bennett has faced Houston or Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during his career.
• 1986 graduate of UC San Diego.

SERIES HISTORY vs. SAINT MARY'S (Calif.)
• Houston owns a 2-1 lead against Saint Mary's (Calif.) in the series, which began Dec. 12, 1966.
• Saturday's game will be the first time the two schools have played in Men's Basketball since Dec. 13, 1996.
• The Cougars won the first two games of the season, but Saint Mary's (Calif.) can boast of the most recent success after taking a 72-65 win in the BYU Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah, on Dec. 13, 1996.
• at Neutral Site: Saint Mary's (Calif.) owns a 1-0 lead against Houston in the series in games played at neutral sites.
• In the most recent meeting at a neutral site, Saint Mary's (Calif.) took a 72-65 win in the BYU Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah, on Dec. 13, 1996, during the BYU Cougar Classic.

IN the NATIONAL RANKINGS
For the first time since March 1983, the Cougars stand as the #1 team in both national polls released Monday

The Cougars held 45 first-place votes and 1,534 points to lead the Associated Press poll and collected 23 first-place votes on the way to 782 points for the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll.

Houston has not been ranked that high nationally since coming in at #1 in the final polls of the 1982-83 season (AP, March 14, 1983; Coaches, March 15, 1983).

The 2022-23 Cougars became the third team in school history to hold a #1 ranking during the season. They joined the 1967-68 and 1982-83 teams.

With Monday's ranking, Houston has spent a combined total of 12 weeks at #1 in the AP poll.

This also marked the first time that Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has led a team to the #1 ranking during his award-winning career.

With Monday's rankings, the Cougars extended their school record with their 49th consecutive week ranked among the AP Top 25. The previous mark was 35 straight weeks in the poll from 1967 to 1969. The Jan. 13, 2020, poll was the last time Houston did not appear in the AP Top 25.

Houston has appeared in the Coaches poll for 41 consecutive weeks, dating back to March 2, 2020.

UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, the Cougars return to the Fertitta Center for three straight home games.
• The homestand begins at 7 p.m., Tuesday, against North Florida (ESPN+) and continues at 2 p.m., Dec. 10, against #11/14 Alabama (ABC) before wrapping up at 7 p.m., Dec. 13 against North Carolina A&T (ESPN+).
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference.

Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

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