No. 2 Houston Cougars In Need of Bounce Back Game Taking on No. 8 Kansas
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The Houston Cougars have run into a wall of adversity throughout the stretch of the season, currently on an ongoing two-game skid after dropping back-to-back games against tough conference competition, dropping to a 23-4 record on the year and an 11-3 record in conference play, now sitting one game back from first place in the Big 12.
Houston has had to battle through a challenging last two matchups, starting with a close 70-67 road loss to the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones last Monday, and followed that up with a 73-66 loss at home to the No. Arizona Wildcats on Saturday afternoon.
The Coogs now end the challenging stretch of games with another tough task, having to travel and head back out on the road, heading to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks for another ESPN Big Monday matchup on Feb. 23 at 8:00 PM.
Houston Travels to Allen Fieldhouse On Monday Night
The Jayhawks will host the Cougars with a 20-7 overall record and a 10-4 record in conference play, tied for third place in the Big 12 standings with Iowa State. Kansas has dropped conference games to UCF, West Virginia, and Iowa State, and will also be looking for a bounce-back performance just like Houston after losing to the Cincinnati Bearcats 84-68 at home on Saturday.
Kansas' stunning loss to an unranked Cincinnati squad was the worst loss under head coach Bill Self, marking the largest home loss to an unranked opponent under Self since 2003, with the Bearcats ending the game with a 26-9 run, ultimately running away with the game.
The Jayhawks are led by high-profile freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who, in his 16 games played, has averaged 19.8 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three-point range. Peterson has also notched 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Behind Peterson, Kansas has also received consistent performances from forward Flory Bidunga, who is averaging 14.6 points per game, shooting 66 percent from the field, while also leading the team in rebounds with 9.3 and blocks with 2.8.
In Houston's last two losses, freshman guard Kingston Flemings has continued to deliver down the stretch of the season, leading the Coogs in scoring in both games, averaging 19.5 points per game, shooting 46 percent from the field, along with 6.5 rebounds and four assists a game.
The Coogs will need Flemings, along with the rest of the Houston supporting cast, to try and get out of their two-game losing streak and get back on track heading into March as they take on the Jayhawks on Monday night.
