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Sports

Cougars face a must-win vs. Miners

Houston needs a victory over UTEP on Saturday to keep its postseason hopes alive

By CHRIS ELLIOTT
The Daily Cougar

Senior guard Oliver Lafayette and senior forward Jahmar "Dunk Master Flex" Thorpe will more than likely play their last collegiate game at Hofheinz Pavilion when the Cougars host Texas-El Paso in their regular season finale at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Cougars still have a shot at making the National Invitational Tournament if they beat the Miners and make a strong run in the Conference USA Tournament. However, it's unlikely the Cougars will earn a high seed and host an early-round game, as they did last year against Brigham Young in the first round.

Houston (15-14, 9-6 C-USA) is in the midst of a battle for top positioning in next week's C-USA Tournament with Rice, Central Florida, Tulsa, Southern Miss and Tulane. They are all playing for one goal -- to be seeded opposite of top-seeded Memphis for next week's tournament.

Last season, the Cougars entered the tournament as the fourth seed but were eliminated in the semifinals by Memphis, which has grown into quite the conference bully over the last three years. That left the Cougars with a 20-9 record and a trip to the NIT.

This season the Cougars will probably need at least 18 wins to receive their third consecutive invitation to the NIT. So if they want to keep their postseason aspirations alive, they'll have to defeat UTEP (14-14, 6-8 C-USA) on Saturday and go at least two games deep in the tournament.

"We still have a good shot to be the third seed," UH head coach Tom Penders said. "You want to be second or third going into that tournament so you don't have to play Memphis in that second game."

Saturday could be the last time fans get to see Lafayette's unique ability to defend on the ball, play the lanes, force turnovers and catch fire from behind the arc. 

It could also be the last time UH fans get to see Thorpe live up to his nickname and posterize an unsuspecting big man. 

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