by US Fed News

The University of Houston men's basketball team looks to return to its winning ways this weekend when it plays host to Conference USA-rival UCF at 7 p.m., Saturday, inside Hofheinz Pavilion. The Cougars (16-8 - 7-4 C-USA) come into this weekend's game on the heels of a disappointing 88-83 loss at league-rival Marshall on Wednesday in West Virginia. With that loss, the Cougars saw their four-game winning streak snapped and fell into a tie for third place with UTEP and Tulsa in the latest C-USA standings with just more than two weeks remaining in the regular season. Against the Thundering Herd, junior guard Aubrey Coleman scored a career-high 38 points with six rebounds and four steals.

It was the Houston native's third 30-point game of the season, making him only the 16th player in school history to accomplish that feat. Coleman boosted his team-high scoring average to 20.0 points per game, third highest in Conference USA. Junior guard Kelvin Lewis ranks second on the team and among the league's top-10 scoring leaders with 18.2 points per game, while senior center Marcus Cousin is tops with 9.0 rebounds per contest. Freshman point guard Desmond Wade leads the way with 4.1 assists per game and has committed only 32 turnovers total this season. With an assist : turnover ration of 3.06 : 1, the Linden, N.J., native ranks sixth in the country in the latest NCAA statistical standings. This will be the second time that the Cougars have faced UCF this season. UH enjoyed a 97-69 win on Feb. 4 in Orlando, registering the most points and the biggest win in the series against the Knights. RADIO / TV INFORMATION Cougar Men's Basketball games can be heard live on 790 AM The Sports Animal or on the Internet at UHCougars.com with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action and Willis Wilson providing analysis. The pregame show is slated to begin 15 minutes before tip-off. LIVE STATS Fans can follow the play-by-play action by clicking the GameTracker link at UHCougars.com. PROMOTIONS * Fans are invited to stay near the court at halftime for special performances by Shasta, the Cougar mascot, and the Sam Houston High School band and cheer team. SERIES HISTORY This marks the fourth straight season that the Cougars will meet UCF on the hardwood. The Cougars own a 6-2 (.750) lead in the all-time series, which began during the 2005-06 season and has been played at least twice every year since. UH brings a three-game winning streak against the Knights into this weekend's game. That streak was lengthened earlier this season when the Cougars enjoyed a 97-69 win at UCF on Feb. 4. The Cougars have posted a 2-1 (.667) all-time record against the Knights inside the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion. The Cougars have won each of the last two meetings in Houston after dropping the first game of the series 66-56 on Jan. 14, 2006. However, those games have been close with the Cougars winning 73-70 in overtime on Jan. 24, 2007, and 73-68 on March 5, 2008. ABOUT UCF A well-rested UCF team enters this weekend's game after taking a week off from competitive action. The Knights enjoyed a 74-72 home win against Conference USA-rival Tulsa on Feb. 14 in a game in which they trailed by 17 points midway through the second half but won on a buzzer beater by guard A.J. Rompza. That win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Knights, which began, ironically, with the Cougars' 97-69 victory in Orlando on Feb. 4. Senior guard Jermaine Taylor leads the Knights and Conference USA with 25.0 points per game, making him the only Knight to average double digits in points. Junior forward Tony Davis leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game, while Rompza is tops with 5.0 assists per contest. Now in his 19th season overall, head coach Kirk Speraw has compiled a 345-232 (.596) all-time record during his career. In addition, he is 263-211(.550) in more than 15 seasons at UCF. Speraw is 2-6 (.250) all-time against the Cougars. NEXT GAME FOR Houston Following the UCF game, the Cougars hit the road to meet Conference USA-rival Tulsa at 7 p.m., Wednesday, in Oklahoma. It will be the only regular-season meeting between the two teams this season. The game can be heard live on 790 AM The Sports Animal or on the Internet at UHCougars.com with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action. The pregame show is slated to begin 15 minutes before tip-off. Fans also can follow the play-by-play action by clicking the GameTracker link at UHCougars.com. NEXT HOME GAME FOR Houston Following the Tulsa game and a road contest at Rice on Feb. 28, the Cougars wrap up the regular season with a pair of home games during the final week of the regular season. The Cougars play host to No. 8/5 Memphis at 7 p.m., March 4, and then close out the regular season at 7 p.m., March 7, against Conference USA-rival SMU during Senior Day. Both games will be played inside Hofheinz Pavilion on the UH campus. Free admission is available to approved groups of 10 or more people for the remaining Saturday home game against Conference USA-rival SMU on March 7. For more information, please call the Marketing Office at 713-743-9453. Fans can purchase their tickets by calling 713-GO-COOGS or by stopping by the Athletics Ticket Office in the Athletics/Alumni Center during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. Fans always can purchase tickets by visiting UHCougars.com and clicking on the Tickets links.For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

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