When: Friday, noon Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Records: UConn 16-16 (6-12 AAC), Houston 29-2 (16-2 AAC) TV: ESPN2 Radio: UConn/IMG Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WICC-Brideport (600 AM), WINE-Danbury (940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, Sirius-81, XM-81, Internet-81 KEEP AN EYE ON PHI SLAMMA JAMMA MEMORIES: Houston is ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 4 in the NET (as of March 10). The Cougars clinched the AAC’s regular-season title with an impressive, 85-69 win at second-place Cincinnati on Sunday. It’s Houston’s first outright league title since winning the Southwest Conference in 1984 behind Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Young & Co. LAST TIME OUT: For the second straight season, UConn and Houston met just once this year. The Cougars notched a 71-63 win on Feb. 14 at the XL Center. The Huskies had cut a 17-point deficit down to seven with less than three minutes left, and appeared to have a fast-break opportunity. However, an inadvertent whistle by a ref blew the play dead, and they couldn’t capitalize on the momentum. The Huskies were without leading scorer Jalen Adams, who had suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee a week earlier, and point guard Alterique Gilbert, who was still a week away from returning from his latest shoulder injury. “It will be a tough challenge,” Adams said of Friday’s match-up. “We are ready for it. Our guys held their own in the first match-up without two starters, and I think the confidence is going to go through the roof with me coming back. And I don't know. We'll see what happens. Added Christian Vital: “We’ve got Jalen back, so I like our chances.” HISTORY LESSON: UConn is 5-7 all-time against Houston, but has lost five of the last six match-ups. Its last victory was a 74-65 win in an AAC tournament game at the XL Center on March 10, 2017. PROBABLE STARTERS UCONN Player Pos. PPG Christian Vital G 14.1 Tarin Smth G 8.0 Jalen Adams G 16.9 Tyler Polley F 8.7 Josh Carlton C 9.1 HOUSTON Player Pos. PPG Armoni Brooks G 13.7 Corey Davis, Jr. G 16.6 Breaon Brady F 6.2 Galen Robinson, Jr. G 7.8 Fabian White, Jr. F 6.3 — David Borges<doc-sep>Huskies vs. Cougars Prediction The 11th-ranked Houston Cougars clinched the American Athletic Conference title last weekend and will now look to win the conference tournament as it plays in the quarterfinals today versus the UConn Huskies. Can Houston win its 30th game of the season this afternoon? Game Snapshot 791 UConn Huskies vs. 792 Houston Cougars Friday, March 15, 2019 FedEx Forum at 12PM ET TV: ESPN2 Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page. Public Betting Information According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Cougars are a 10-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 138.5 points. As of Friday morning, 72 percent of public bets are siding with Houston. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date info. Huskies take down Bulls UConn earned an 80-73 victory Thursday in the AAC Tournament to advance to the quarterfinals. The Huskies (16-16) led 39-26 at halftime en route to the win. UConn shot 25-of-46 from the floor, 13-of-24 from 3-point point land plus 17-of-28 at the free throw line. Christian Vital paced the Huskies with 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 6-of-9 from 3-point range plus 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also notched five rebounds and three assists. Jalen Adams tallied 19 points, six boards and five assists. Tarin Smith added 14 points, four assists, two caroms and two steals. Cougars beat Bearcats for AAC title Houston defeated host Cincinnati 85-69 Sunday afternoon to clinch the outright AAC championship. The Cougars (29-2, 16-2) outscored the Bearcats 48-34 in the second half to pull away. Houston shot 30-of-65 from the floor, 12-of-23 from 3-point range plus 13-of-18 from the free throw line. Corey Davis Jr. paced the Cougars with 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting including 3-of-9 from 3-point distance plus 8-of-9 at the charity stripe. He also tallied six assists and two rebounds. Nate Hinton contributed 16 points and 11 boards off the bench. Armani Brooks registered 14 points, six caroms and two steals. Dejon Jarreau added 13 points, five rebounds, five dimes and two steals as a reserve. College Basketball Betting Trends UConn The Huskies are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall. UConn is 8-20-1 ATS in its last 29 Friday games. Houston The Cougars are 6-1 ATS in their last seven neutral site games. Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last five Friday games. Prediction: The Cougars beat the Huskies by a count of 71-63 at UConn this season the only meeting between the two teams. Houston has had some time to rest up and prepare, while UConn will play for a second straight day and might get tired legs late. Even so, UConn has played pretty decent basketball lately and has the advantage of being adapted to the arena and the stage of the conference tournament. I'm going to bet on Adams and Vital to have big games again to keep this one within single digits. NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: UCONN HUSKIES +10<doc-sep>Various, and well-chronicled circumstances, such as injuries, left Adams to carry the Huskies most of the last three seasons, and the final week was no different. He came back from a sprained knee and had big games in the regular-season finale at East Carolina and the first-round win in the conference tournament, making his teammates shine with superlative passing, but he could only carry them so far.<doc-sep>
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Corey Davis Jr. scored 22 points and No. 11 Houston defeated UConn 84-45 in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday. Galen Robinson Jr. finished with 16 points, missing only one of his eight shots. Nate Hinton added 15 points for Houston (30-2), the tournament's top seed. BRIAN T. SMITH: Cougars don't let up on march into NCAA Tournament Houston will face Memphis, a 79-55 winner over Central Florida. Jalen Adams led UConn (16-17) with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Carlton added 13 points and 11 rebounds. UConn missed its first five shots, helping the Cougars to an 11-0 start. But the buffer was short-lived as UConn went on a 7-0 run. The Cougars eventually extended the advantage to 16 in the closing minutes of the first half. They led 39-25 at the break behind 15 points by Davis. Houston continued its surge, using an 11-0 run to extend the lead to 52-29. Eight minutes into the second half, the Cougars had made 11 of their 17 shots and stretched the lead to 32. BIG PICTURE UConn: The Huskies already were underdogs against the nationally ranked Cougars. In the second half, the Huskies started 2 of 13, and missed all six 3-pointers. UConn reached the quarterfinals after an 80-73 victory over the eighth-seed South Florida. ON TEXAS SPORTS NATION: Takeaways from Houston 84, Connecticut 45 Houston: The Cougars showed why they are ranked near the Top 10 in the country. The tournament's top seed used balanced scoring and a stifling defense against a struggling UConn. They held the Huskies to 26-percent shooting for the game, including 3 of 26 from 3-point range. UP NEXT UConn: Season ends at 16-17. Houston: Plays Memphis in Saturday's semifinals. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for the only newsletter for the Houston sports superfan.