PREVIEW: #17/18 Men’s Hoops Ready for Big 12-Big East Battle

HOUSTON – The #17/18 University of Houston Men's Basketball program returns to Fertitta Center for the first of four consecutive home games when it plays host to Butler at 4:30 p.m., Saturday.

Saturday's game will be part of the Big 12-Big East Battle with schools from both conferences squaring off against one another. A year ago, Houston claimed a 66-60 win at Xavier on Dec. 1, 2023, in its first year in the league.

#17/18 Houston enters their lone game this week after posting a 1-2 record during the inaugural Players Era Festival inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last week.

After falling in overtime to #9/9 Alabama, the Cougars took a 65-54 win over Notre Dame on Nov. 27 before falling in overtime to San Diego State in the Third-Place Game on Saturday.

This season, graduate guard LJ Cryer leads the Cougars with 14.6 points per game. The Katy, Texas, native tied his collegiate career high with 30 points against #9/9 Alabama in the opening game of the Players Era Festival, becoming the 65^th Cougar to reach that total in a game.

Cryer also stands 15^th in the country with a 95.2 free throw percentage after hitting all but one of his 21 free throw ties this season.

Junior guard Emanuel Sharp is a close second with 14.4 points per game and ranks among the nation's Top 15 leaders with a 52.6 3-point field goal percentage (20-of-38).

Graduate forward J'Wan Roberts and sophomore forward Joseph Tugler are tied for the team lead with 6.1 rebounds per contest with Tugler ranking third in the league with 2.1 blocks per game.

Tugler swatted eight shots against #9/9 Alabama becoming only the sixth Cougar in school history to reach that total in a game.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Cougars enter Saturday's game as winners of their last 25 home games inside Fertitta Center. That ties with UConn and Drake as the nation's longest active winning streak.

Houston owns a 96-6 record inside Fertitta Center since the facility opened Dec. 1, 2018.

A year ago, the Cougars posted a perfect 17-0 record at home, the 11^th undefeated home season in school history

Men's Basketball Replica Jersey Giveaway

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday's game vs. Butler is presented by Lewis Jewelers.
• For Saturday's game, the first 500 University of Houston students will receive a FREE replica jersey presented by Lewis Jewelers.
• Shasta and Sasha Claus will be available for photos in the Cub Zone on the concourse behind Section 108.
• Prior to the game, UH alum and saxophonist Trenton Whitehead will perform the national anthem.
• At halftime, the Spirit of. Houston Marching Band will perform.

NATIONAL POLLS
• The Cougars stood at #17 in the Associated Press poll and checked in at #17 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches polls released Monday
• This marked the 90^th consecutive week in which Houston was ranked, the nation's longest active streak and extending its school record.
• Houston's school-record streak of 44 straight weeks in the AP Top 10 ended.
• The Cougars are 7-3 when playing as the #17 (AP) team during its history and have won their last six games as the #17 (AP) team.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) calling.
• Fans can hear Saturday's Men's Basketball game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling. The pregame show begins at 4:15 p.m., Saturday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

ABOUT BUTLER
• Butler brings a 7-1 record into Saturday's game inside Fertitta Center.
• After splitting its first two games to open the season, Butler was won its last seven games.
• In its most recent action, Butler took a 73-58 home win over Eastern Illinois inside Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Tuesday evening.
• Against Eastern Illinois, fifth-year forward Jahmyl Telfort and senior forward Patrick McCaffery each poured in 20 points to lead the Bulldogs to the win. McCaffery recorded a game-high five 3-pointers with seven rebounds, and Telfort tied junior guard Landon Moore for team-high honors with three assists. Fifth-year center Andre Screen posted six points with eight rebounds while junior guard Kolby King finished with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
• This season, Telfort leads Butler with 17.9 points and is tied with sophomore guard Finley Bizjack for team-high honors with 3.0 assists per contest. Pierre Brooks stands second among the Bulldogs with 14.5 points per game while McCaffery is third with 13.5 points per game. Screen leads the team with 7.1 points and 1.3 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Thad Matta is in his fourth season at Butler and his 20th year as a collegiate head coach.
• Matta has posted a 63-42 record at Butler and a 478-188 mark during his career.
• Matta has posted a 1-0 record against Houston during his career. Saturday's game will be the first time Matta has faced the Cougars with Butler.
• Matta has posted a 1-2 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers. Saturday's game will be the first time Matta has faced Sampson during Sampson's Houston and Matta's Butler tenures.
• 1990 graduate of Butler.

SERIES HISTORY vs. BUTLER
• Houston owns a 1-0 lead in the series history against Butler.
• In the lone previous meeting, the Cougars took a 70-52 win over the Bulldogs inside Michelob ULTRA Arena during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Las Vegas on Nov. 22, 2021.
• Saturday's game will be the first meeting at a non-neutral site venue in the series history.
at Home: Saturday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Butler in Houston during the series history.
in Fertitta Center: Saturday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Butler in Fertitta Center during the series history.

UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, Houston continues its homestand when it plays host to Troy at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, inside Fertitta Center.
• That game will air on ESPN+
• From there, the Cougars will face Toledo in Fertitta Center at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 18.
• That game will air on ESPN+
• Houston closes its December homestand when it faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1 p.m., Dec. 21, inside Fertitta Center.
• That game will air on CBS Sports Network.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.

BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

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.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as 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.

– UHCougars.com –

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