North Carolina A&T vs. Houston Preview: CVR 2nd Annual HBCU Roundball Classic

The first game of the Coaches vs. Racism series features North Carolina A&T Aggies (4-4) traveling to meet the fifth-ranked Houston Cougars (9-1) at 7:00 PM CT in Fertitta Center on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Coaches vs. Racism (CVR) is leading the charge to end systemic racism through sports with its second annual HBCU Roundball Classic in Houston, TX.

The HBCU Roundball Classic has three matches that pit HBCU basketball programs against highly-touted NCAA Division I schools. The first of three will be the NC A&T Aggies vs. the former No. Houston Cougars. Saturday at Delmar Stadium will have a double-header with Prairie View facing off against Montana and Texas Tech, battling head coach Moe Williams and Jackson State.

What the Coaches Said

Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson and Aggies head coach Phil Shumpert addressed the media last week regarding the upcoming game.

"The fact that we're having this tournament, and we're, and we're attaching the word racism, to it, just brings it back into the forefront. It's just a phrase, more conversation," Sampson said about racism and the tournament. "I got asked the other night after the game, about the t-shirt and racism. And, there's so many people, especially as divisive as our country is right now, there's more and more people hearing about it. There's more and more people that are uncomfortable talking about it. But I think this is one of those events where we need to keep pushing it to the forefront, so people be aware of it."

Coach Shumpert added, "We got to keep pushing the envelope and continue advocating and bringing awareness to the social injustice and the economic divide we have in our society right now. And sports is a vehicle that we do know that we can consistently advocate and fight for opportunities and resources for our future."

The Match-Up

Sophomore guard Kam Woods had a 23-point game in the Aggies' 73-56 victory against the UNC Greensboro Spartans. He will square off against Cougars' guards Marcus Sasser and point guard Jamal Shead in the program built by legends Elvin Hayes, Otis Birdsong, Cadillac Anderson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and the men of Phi Slama Jama.

Hopefully, the moment will be manageable for the NC A&T players going against a powerhouse team like U of H.

Houston and NC A&T met once, with the Cougars winning. The Aggies average 75.25 PPG compared to 74.89 for U of H. A&T hoists more three-point shots (24) and steals (8) per game than the Cougars.

Houston is averaging 38.4 points in the paint, with J'wan Roberts leading the Cougars with 8.2 points per game.

Coach Shumpert's team is 0-3 on the road this season and is 1-4 as the underdog. Conversely, Houston is 6-1 at home and 9-1 as the favorite.

On Saturday, the former No. 8 University of Alabama rallied to upset the No. 1-ranked Cougars. The stunning outcome dropped U of H to No. 5 and leaped Alabama to No. 4 in the country.

Players to Watch

NC A&T - Demetric Horton, Kam Woods, and Marcus Watson
Houston - J'wan Roberts, Jamal Shead, and Marcus Sasser

Betting

Houston has put together a 7-3-0 record against the spread this season.
N.C. A&T has covered twice in five games with a spread this year.
The Cougars score 73.9 points per game, just 3.8 more points than the 70.1 the Aggies allow.
When Houston scores more than 70.1 points, it is 6-0 against the spread and 6-0 overall.

Prediction

North Carolina A&T 56, University of Houston 84

Coaches vs. Racism 2nd Annual HBCU Roundball Classic Games:

University of Houston vs. North Carolina A&T @7:00 PM CT on Tues, Dec. 13.
Prairie View A&M vs. University of Montana @11:50 AM CT on Sat, Dec. 17.
Texas Tech vs. Jackson State @3:00 PM CT on Sat Dec. 17.

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