Cougars aim to kick some Aztecs
By Jake McKim
Daily Cougar Staff
San Diego is known for its breathtaking weather, its natural beauty
and its world-famous zoo.
Kevin Harwerth/The Daily Cougar
Head coach Ray McCallum discusses strategy with assistant
coach Brian Hecker. The Cougars will face San Diego State, which has an
11-8
record, the same as Houston.
But tonight the Cougars will aim to make home less comfortable for
the San Diego State Aztecs.
The Cougars are 4-2 on the road this season and have managed to win
tough games at Texas Southern, Tulane, Prairie View A&M and
Alabama-Birmingham. The two losses came at Saint Louis and Louisiana
State and were decided by a combined seven points.
"We've played very well on the road," UH head coach Ray McCallum said.
"We have confidence we can go play in someone else's house."
The Aztecs are led by Randy Holcomb (18.3 points, 9.9 rebounds), Al
Faux (18.5 points) and Tony Bland (16.7 points). Despite an 80-79 home
overtime loss to Nevada-Las Vegas Saturday, the Aztecs are tough to
beat at home, boasting an 8-2 record at Cox Arena.
Former Michigan head coach Steve Fisher now runs the show at San Diego
State after three Final Four appearances and a national
championship under his belt.
Fisher notched a 184-82 record at Michigan and has a 19-37 record in
his first two seasons at San Diego State, guiding the Aztecs to an 11-8
showing this season.
The Cougars will attempt to rebound from a disappointing 84-66 home
defeat to Memphis on Saturday in which Houston was bombarded by a
fierce all-around attack.
In that game, freshman Dajuan Wagner scored 25 points and senior Kelly
Wise finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. For the Cougars, Louis
Truscott earned his ninth double-double of the season with 19 points
and 13 rebounds.
Despite the setback, the Cougars are still performing above expectations
with an 11-8 overall record, 4-3 in Conference USA.
"Our balanced scoring has really been a big key," McCallum said.
McCallum views the Fisher-led Aztecs as a parallel program.
"Steve's program is a lot like ours," McCallum said. "They're up-and-coming,
they've improved a lot and they have good talent. (The game) is a
good opportunity to represent Conference USA on the West Coast."
Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. The game can be heard on the radio at 790 KBME.
