HOUSTON — The University of Houston Men’s Basketball program earned a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region and will face No. 15 seed Cleveland State on Friday. 

The No. 2 seed marks the Cougars highest NCAA Tournament since 1984. The matchup with take place in Bloomington, Ind., inside Assembly Hall on the campus of Indiana University. Tip-off is set for 6:15 p.m. CT on the game will air on TruTV. 

The game can be heard on KPRC 950-AM. The Cougars and Vikings have never faced each other in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cougars are making their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and Houston has made 22 overall appearances in the Big Dance. 

The winner of Friday’s First-Round will face the winner of the (7) Clemson-(10) Rutgers winner on Sunday with a berth to the Sweet 16 on the line.

JOIN the 2021-22 SEASON-TICKET PRIORITY WAIT LIST
Houston Men’s Basketball fans can join the season ticket priority wait list for the 2021-22 season inside the Fertitta Center with a $75 deposit today. To place a deposit for the 2021 season, click here or call 713-GO-COOGS (462-4667).

JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men’s Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).

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The University of Houston Men’s Basketball program will make its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, beginning Friday night.
 
The sixth-ranked Cougars, who are seeded No. 2 in the Midwest Region, will face No. 15 seed Cleveland State at 6:15 p.m. (CDT) Friday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
 
Houston punched its ticket to the Big Dance with three wins in as many days at the American Athletic Conference Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, last weekend. The Cougars reeled off victories over Tulane and Memphis to advance to the Title Game, where they defeated Cincinnati 91-54 for the first American Athletic Conference Tournament championship and third overall under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson.
 
Under Sampson’s guidance, the Cougars have posted a 24-3 record and 14-3 mark in American Athletic Conference play and rank No. 6 in both national polls. Houston has been ranked every week this season.
 
Junior guard Quentin Grimes leads the Cougars and ranks third in the league with 18.0 points per game and stands eighth with 6.0 boards per contest. The Woodlands, Texas, native averaged 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game on the way to being named The American Championship Most Outstanding Player.
 
After being named The American Player of the Year following the regular season, Grimes became only the fourth Cougar in school history to win both honors in the same season, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (1984 Southwest Conference), Michael Young (1983 SWC) and Rob Williams (1981 SWC).
 
He has been named to multiple All-America Third Teams during the last week, becoming the first Cougar to earn All-America honors of any kind since 1999 and the first to be recognized on the first three teams since 1984.
 
Senior guard DeJon Jarreau was an All-Conference Second-Team selection and was named to the All-Tournament Team behind a record-setting performance in Houston’s Quarterfinal match-up against Tulane.
 
The New Orleans native scored 15 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double since Bo Outlaw accomplished the feat during the 1992-93 season.
 
Senior forward Justin Gorham continues to lead the Cougars and rank among the national leaders with 9.0 rebounds per game. The Columbia, Md., native was named to the NABC All-District 24 and All-American Athletic Conference Second Teams and is the only player to rank among the league’s Top-Four leaders in both offensive and defensive rebounding.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Friday’s First-Round game on truTV with Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Debbie Antonelli (analyst) and Evan Washburn (reporter).
• Fans can hear Friday’s First-Round game on KPRC 950 AM with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play). The pregame show begins at 7 p.m.
• Fans also can hear the game on Westwood One with Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Kyle Macy (analyst) calling.
 
UP NEXT              
• With a win over (15) Cleveland State, the Cougars would advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
• There the Cougars would face the winner of (7) Clemson-(10) Rutgers on Sunday.
• Game time, location and network for the Second Round will be announced shortly after the First Round is completed.
 

– UHCougars.com –

COURTESY HOUSTON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS