MBB Preview: Saint Louis vs. Houston tonight on KPLR 11

Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 | 7 p.m. | St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
TV: KPLR 11/Stadium Network (Lane Grindle, Tim Doyle)
Radio: 101 ESPN (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
Online Coverage: WatchStadium.com | Live Stats | @SaintLouisMBB on Twitter

++ SLU Game Notes ++

– Saint Louis hosts Houston on Saturday night. Game time at Chaifetz Arena is 7 p.m.

– The game will be produced by the Stadium Network and will be televised in St. Louis on KPLR 11. Lane Grindle and Tim Doyle are on the call.

– The radio broadcast will air on 101 ESPN (101.1 FM and 101Sports.com). As always, Billiken Hall of Famer Bob Ramsey provides the play-by-play, while St. Louis American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr. handles the analysis.

 – This is the 37th meeting all-time between the Billikens and Houston, and the first game of a new home-and-home series. SLU will face the Cougars in Houston next season.

– Saint Louis enters Saturday’s game against the Cougars with a 4-4 overall record.

– The Billikens snapped a four-game skid with a 74-69 victory over Southern Illinois in their last outing. Freshman guard Jordan Goodwin registered a career-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds against the Salukis.

– Saint Louis won its first three games of the season, including an impressive 77-71 win over Virginia Tech at Madison Square Garden as part of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.

– Junior guard Javon Bess continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 ppg. He is also second on the team in assists (16) and steals (nine) and third in rebounding average (6.3 rpg).

– Freshman guard Jordan Goodwin is fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in steals per game (2.25) and seventh in assists per game (4.0). He is second on the Billikens in scoring (10.6 ppg) and leads the Bills in rebounding (7.1 rpg).

– Freshman forward Hasahn French, who returned to the lineup against SIU after missing the Butler game with an injury, leads the team and is third in the A-10 in blocked shots (17). He is second on the Billikens in rebounding (7.0 rpg).

– Sophomore forward Jalen Johnson averages 9.5 ppg. He scored a career-high 24 points against Detroit Mercy earlier this season. Johnson leads the team in 3-point field-goal percentage (12-28, .429).

– Junior forward D.J. Foreman would rank among the A-10 leaders in shooting percentage but he misses the statistical minimum of three field goals made per game. He shoots 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the field.

– Senior guards Davell Roby and Aaron Hines average 8.3 ppg and 7.6 ppg, respectively.

– The University of Houston has won six in a row and comes to Chaifetz Arena with a 7-1 record.

– Guard Rob Gray leads Houston in scoring with 21.3 ppg. He shoots 51.5 percent (50-of-97) from the field, 48.5 percent (16-of-333) from 3-point range and 89.2 percent (33-of-37) from the charity stripe.

– Guards Devin Davis and Wes VanBeck follow with 12.6 and 12.0 ppg, respectively. VanBeck has drained a team-leading 19 3-pointers.

– On Aug. 28, 2017, as Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas Gulf Coast and the greater Houston area, Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson sent a tweet asking for basketball coaches at all levels to donate 20 t-shirts and 10 pairs of shoes to distribute to relief efforts. By the end of the drive, Houston men’s basketball estimated that it received more than 20,000 pairs of shoes and more than 200,000 t-shirts for those in need.

– Sampson is in his fourth year coaching the Cougars and his 29th season overall as a head coach.

Saint Louis leads the all-time series 24-12. The Cougars and Billikens are old Missouri Valley Conference and Conference USA rivals. In 2006-07 they played a rare home-and-home nonconference series in the same season. Each team won on its home court.