Top-ranked Houston, North Texas, and SMU all returned to the basketball court on Thursday night. Here are the results.
No.1 Houston Cougars (28-2, 16-1, First in American Athletic Conference)
Last Game: No.1 Houston 83, Wichita State 66
Jamal Shead and Marcus Sasser led the Cougars with a win over Wichita State as the Cougars increased their chances of earning a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Houston used a 15-5 second-half run to break away in a game that was tied at 33 with 19:38 remaining.
Noteworthy: By shooting 3-7 from three-point range on Thursday, Sasser has now tied Rob McKiver for the program record for career three-point makes (261).
Next Up: No.1 Houston at Memphis (23-7, 13-4), 11 a.m. CT Sunday.
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North Texas Mean Green (24-6, 15-4, Second in Conference USA)
Last Game: UNT 64, Middle Tennessee 50
UNT erased an early eight-point deficit to lead by three at the half and controlled the game from there. Forward Abou Ousmane and guard Tylor Perry finished with 19 points each as the Mean Green got the win despite shooting just 23.1% from three.
Noteworthy: The Mean Green set a program record with their 24th win of the season, topping last season’s 23-win mark with one game remaining in the regular season.
Next Up: Western Kentucky (16-14, 8-11) at UNT, 2 p.m. CT Saturday.
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SMU Mustangs (10-20, 5-12, 10th in American Athletic Conference)
Last Game: Memphis 81, SMU 62
SMU allowed 50 points in the first half and struggled on offense throughout the game, shooting just 36.2% from the floor. Former SMU star Kendric Davis led Memphis with 23 points and 10 assists.
Noteworthy: SMU guards Zhuric Phelps and Zach Nutall each came into the game on double-digit scoring streaks and continued them with 10 and 15 points, respectively.
Next Up: SMU at Cincinnati (19-11, 10-7), 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
