(SportsRadio 610) - Following Wednesday night's 80-42 blowout win over Tulsa, Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson said his team is primed for some long overdue rest.
"I do know the pulse of this team," Sampson said. "The thing this team really needs right now is rest. You know, we've had a rough stretch, starting in New Orleans, it's just been nonstop."
Four of the Cougars' last seven games have been on the road, dating back to the Jan. 17 game against Tulane.
During that stretch, the Cougars have taken care of business, winning six of seven games and five in a row since the 56-55 hiccup against Temple. However, Sampson's team has spent much of its time on the road, going from New Orleans, Wichita, Orlando to Philadelphia over the past two and a half weeks.
The Cougars will now have eight days of rest, their longest stretch of the season without a game before embarking on the final six games of the regular season.
"So we've played 25 games, two scrimmages and 83 practices," Sampson said. "It's a long year. I thought we needed a little break maybe 10 days ago, so our kids, they've been up against it."
Meanwhile, as his team will get a much needed break from games and travel, Sampson will hit the road and go recruiting during the Cougars' brief hiatus.
Upon his return, they will again hit the road to take on SMU a week from Thursday and it'll be back to the drawing board for the final stretch before tournament season begins.
"As coaches and players, we don't analyze wins or losses," Sampson said. "We just figure out how we're going to get better."
Coming up
Cougars will be back in action Thursday, Feb. 16 in Dallas to take on SMU. The game is scheduled to broadcast on ESPN2 with tip-off set for 6 p.m.
Next home game
The Cougars will host Memphis on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. The game is scheduled to broadcast on ESPN.
News and Notes
Senior guard Marcus Sasser led all scorers with 25 points in the Cougars' 80-42 blowout win over Tulsa on Wednesday night, notching his sixth 20-point game of the season and 17th of his career. Sasser is now 24th on the all-time Cougars basketball scoring list.
Sasser has led the Cougars in scoring eight different times this season, while freshman forward Jarace Walker has led the Cougars in scoring seven times.
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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