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Houston Cougars Basketball: The best team that no one is talking about

By Trey Formas

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: A Houston Cougars fan reacts after the Rice Owls rushes for a first down agains the Houston Cougars in the fourth quarter at TDECU Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Houston Cougars won 38 to 3 .(Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: A Houston Cougars fan reacts after the Rice Owls rushes for a first down agains the Houston Cougars in the fourth quarter at TDECU Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Houston Cougars won 38 to 3 .(Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) /
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For the first time since 1996, the Houston Cougars have knocked off a Top-10 ranked opponent after beating Wichita State 73-59. The team is 16-4 on the season, 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference and no one in the city of Houston is talking about them.  Here’s why this team is special.

Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team rolling this season.   The Cougars have victories over (4/7) Wichita State, Providence and Arkansas. They have 6 wins in one of the best basketball conferences in the nation, and they are getting place in the NCAA tournament by many pundits.

The Houston Cougars currently sit tied for second place in the conference at 6-2 with 10 games against American teams remaining.

UH as a team is shooting 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the three-point line. They rank 67th (out of 351 teams) in the country in points per game, averaging 79.3 points. 39th in three-point percentage, 58th in scoring defense, and 89th in field goal percentage.

The Houston Cougars have a perfect 9-0 record at home, and they are not even taking center stage on Cullen Blvd. currently. The team is at their temporary home H&PE arena on the campus of Texas Southern.

Even Sampson joked that they may never move back:

The Players

Senior guard Rob Gray leads the team, averaging 19 points per game. The man-bun sporting guard is currently 44th in the nation as far as that category Gray is shooting 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind-the-arc while making 84 percent of his shots behind the charity stripe.

Junior guard Corey Davis Jr. is second on the squad in points per game, adding 12 per contest. The Lafayette, La. product is shooting 48 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point land.

Devin Davis, a red-shirt junior forward from Indianapolis, is third on the team in scoring. Davis tallies 10 points per game, while snagging six boards per game for UH.

Sophomore guard Armoni Brooks comes off the bench to add a spark. The Round Rock, Texas native adds nine points per contest for the Cougars and shoots 42 percent from the field.

Wes VanBeck adds defense and totals eight points per game. The senior guard from Houston is another spark off the bench, playing in all 20 games for the Cougars this season.

The starting point guard for the local squad is Galen Robinson Jr. The junior from Houston averages four points, three assists and two rebounds per game. He is a skilled trigger-man for the offense and can be a lock-down defender on the perimeter.

Also seeing action in all 20 games this season is Fabian White Jr, reigning AAC Rookie of the Week, and Nura Zanna, who has made two starts on the year.

Another big man who has seen action is Breacon Brady. The Akron, Ohio native comes over from Saddleback Junior College and is in his junior season. He averages 5 boards in the 16 games he has played this year.

Upcoming Schedule

The Houston Cougars have a big contest today against #8 Cincinnati. This game is an at-large chance for the Cougars to head to the NCAA Tournament next month. Cincinnati has a staunch defense, only giving up 56 points per game, ranking them second in the nation.

The Bearkats (19-2) also feature four players averaging double-digit points per game, led by Jacob Evans. Evans averages 13 points, four rebounds and three assists per contest.

Following that bout with #8 Cincinnati, the Cougars face the #3 scoring defense in the country in Central Florida. The Knights are currently 13-7 on the season and 4-4 in AAC play. This game will be the second tough game on the road for the Cougars.

The grueling stretch of games concludes with SMU back at home Feb. 8. The Mustangs currently sit at 15-7 on the season and are the defending regular season AAC Champions.

More from House of Houston

The Cougars take on Tulane, a team that dealt them a loss, Feb. 11, also a home game.

They welcome Cincinnati to Houston Feb. 15, will bolt up to Temple Feb. 18, who will be tough road foe, and finally Memphis Feb. 22.

They’ll be back in town to face East Carolina Feb. 25 and head up to Dallas to take on SMU Feb. 28 to close out the month.

They’ll consider the regular season a wrap by taking on the Connecticut Huskies at home March 4.  The team will then gear up for the American Athletic Conference Tournament, scheduled f

or March 8-11 in Orlando, Fla.

Next: An analytical perspective on the Kendal Briles hire

Will they make some noise through the rest of season as well as in the tournament to clinch a berth to big dance?  We’ll have to see but this team is just exciting to watch.  If you haven’t had a chance to see guys to play, please do!

For tickets, head to UHCOUGARS.com.

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