Sports

Cougars on the rebound

UH faces No. 5 Louisville with upset on its mind

By Emily Davis
The Daily Cougar

With only nine regular-season games left and locked in a three-way tie for the National Division lead, the Cougars picked an inopportune time to stop protecting the ball.

Allen Cernosek/The Daily Cougar

UH had 20 turnovers in Tuesdayis 65-58 loss to Tulane, the most since Jan. 11, when the team gave the ball away 21 times to Alabama-Birmingham in a 63-50 UAB win.

"This many turnovers really hurts us," head coach Ray McCallum said after Tuesdayis loss, which prevented his Cougars from taking sole possession of first place in the National Division.

And now UH (6-12, 4-3 in C-USA) is left nursing its wounds while staring the biggest test of the season dead in the face. Saturday at 8 p.m. the Cougars will match-up with No. 5 Louisville at Hofheinz Pavilion.

"We have this mental barrier that we have to push through to get past an opponent of this magnitude," McCallum said. "They are one of, if not the best, pressure teams in the nation, and we have to prepare for them."

Feeling the pressure more than ever is senior Louis Truscott, who had eight points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night, making Tulane one of only six teams to deny the Houston native a double-double this season. The 6-6 forward is the conferenceis leading rebounder (third in the nation) and 12th best scorer, averaging 15.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game, but he had trouble executing plays against the Green Waveis consistent double team.

"(Truscott) is a beast," Tulaneis Waitari Marsh said. "He proved why heis the best at rebounding. The only way to control him is to put two guys on him."

Sophomore guard Andre Owens will look to regain some of his control against Louisville after a sub-par performance Tuesday night. The Cougarsi top three-point shooter was 0-of-7 from downtown and was held to a mere four points that night. 

With its star pair contained, UH looked to members of its supporting cast to stay in the game Tuesday, and they came through.

Senior guard Jarrett Sidney had a team-high 11 points, shooting just 2-of-7 from the field but notching an almost perfect 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Freshman Cedrick Hensley also has been getting the job done. The 6-4 guard had 10 points against Tulane and shot 50 percent from three-point range. And senior center Jeremee McGuire (eight points, seven rebounds Tuesday) continues to be a player the Cougars can depend on.

"Itis good to have the rest of the team step up," McCallum said. "Thatis what we hope to have happen at all times."

Stepping up is what it will take to contend with the Cardinals on Saturday. Louisville (16-1, 6-0) is on its longest winning streak -- 15 games -- since the 1985-86 season, when it won its last 17 regular-season games and earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. 

Coming off a 95-76 win over Indiana, the Cardinals are led by coach Rick Pitino and freshman Francisco Garcia, who had a career-high 23 points against the Hoosiers.

"This is a tough team, and we have to get our spirits up," McCallum said. "Weire practicing like always and will bring our best."

After Saturdayis game, the Cougars will head to Charlotte on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to face South Florida.

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