No. 9 Houston (23-1, 10-1) vs. Connecticut (13-11, 4-7)
XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 9 Houston presents a tough challenge for Connecticut. Connecticut has won one of its two games against ranked opponents this season. Houston has moved up to No. 9 in the latest AP rankings following wins over Central Florida and Cincinnati last week.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The Cougars are led by Corey Davis Jr. and Armoni Brooks. Davis has averaged 15.5 points while Brooks has recorded 13.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The Huskies have been led by Jalen Adams and Christian Vital, who are scoring 16.3 and 14 per game, respectively.
FUELING THE OFFENSE: Vital has made or assisted on 43 percent of all Connecticut field goals over the last three games. Vital has accounted for 15 field goals and 18 assists in those games.
STREAK STATS: Houston has won its last four road games, scoring 73 points and allowing 62.8 points during those contests. Connecticut has won its last four home games, scoring an average of 79.8 points while giving up 61.8.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Huskies have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Cougars. Connecticut has an assist on 39 of 76 field goals (51.3 percent) across its past three outings while Houston has assists on 32 of 74 field goals (43.2 percent) during its past three games.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Houston has held opposing teams to 60.7 points per game this season, the sixth-lowest figure among all Division I teams.
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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
