Houston guard Marcus Sasser told reporters on Friday that he plans to play in the Cougars second-round matchup against Auburn on Saturday in Birmingham.
The Cougars defeated Northern Kentucky, 62-53, on Thursday. However, the Cougars star reaggravated a groin injury he suffered in the American Athletic Conference title game against Memphis and was limited in Houston’s first-round game against the Norse. He finished Thursday’s game with five points in 14 minutes in the first half and missed the entire second half.
But with a Sweet 16 spot on the line, the All-American guard says he is fully confident about playing against the Tigers.
“I’m 100 percent playing tomorrow,” Sasser said.
Like Sasser, Houston guard Jamal Shead suffered a knee injury in Thursday’s game, leading to a larger concern of Houston’s health as a team. Shead, who averages 10.4 points and leads the team in steals (1.8) per game, also said doubled down on that fact he was “100 percent” going to play on Saturday.
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In Thursday’s win, Shead finished with 13 points with six assists and a season-high six turnovers. Sasser is averaging 16.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the floor this season.
The Cougars-Tigers’ matchup is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday.
