Houston’s Sasser, Shead rested, all set for Canes
KANSAS CITY, Mo.– After having two essential players overcome injuries in recent weeks, Houston anticipates to be in a much healthier state for its Sweet 16 game versus 5-seed Miami on Friday.Marcus Sasser,
who has wrestled with a groin injury for the previous two weeks, and Jamal Shead, who needed to play through a knee injury, both said Thursday that they’ll be all set to play against the Hurricanes.It appears that
a week of rest has assisted both players.
“I’ve just been doing a good job getting treatment, massages, stretches,” said Sasser, who missed out on all or parts of 3 of the past 4 games for the 1-seeded Cougars. “I ‘d say I’ll probably be around 90 percent by Friday, so I have actually been getting healthy.”
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Shead, who suffered his injury in the first-round win vs. Northern Kentucky, said he’ll be prepared, too.
“Mine was simply a bang-up [play],” Shead stated. “So I’m back to one hundred percent in just these number of days to recover. I’m back to being pretty good.”
That’s significant news for the Cougars. With Shead and Sasser on the court together this season, Houston has held opponents to simply 87 points per 100 possessions. As a comparison, Tennessee (87.1) is ranked initially in adjusted protective efficiency on KenPom.Sasser scored 22 points in 31 minutes in the Cougars’second-round win over Auburn, while Shead included 10 points in 34 minutes.With two more wins, the Cougars can punch their ticket back to Houston, website of this year’s Final 4. “We comprehend what’s at stake and we know what’s at house, however you’ve got to win to get there,”Shead said. “So that’s where our focus has been– on this next game– since Miami is not a pushover. “Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said it’s too difficult to win games in the NCAA competition to consider anything however the next matchup. “If we play great tomorrow, we have actually got an opportunity to win,”Sampson stated. “If we do not, we’ll go home,
which’s just the way it is. Hasn’t changed since this tournament started. That’s why you don’t ever get ready for next week. You get ready for it logistically, however these games are tough to win, male. “