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The Houston Cougars have been named the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region of the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. They finished the regular season with a 31-3 record, with their third loss coming in the American Athletic Conference Championship. The Cougars were one of the top teams in the nation throughout the season and will look to cut down the nets for the first time in school history.
Senior guard Marcus Sasser leads Houston into the tournament. He played in 33 regular season games and averaged 17.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. During the American Athletic Conference tournament semifinals, Sasser sustained a groin injury after an awkward slip on the floor and was unable to return.
Marcus Sasser injury updates
Thursday, March 16: Sasser’s groin injury might actually be an issue now. The guard is probably done for the night despite Houston being in a tough fight with Northern Kentucky. We’ll see if he’s able to go in the next round should the Cougars advance.
Marcus Sasser's groin injury is clearly bothering him. He's on the bench with ice on it. My guess is he's done for the night. Groin injuries are very tricky. Very concerning for the Cougars.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 17, 2023
Thursday, March 16: Sasser is in the starting lineup for Houston’s opening game against Northern Kentucky. The Cougars might give him some rest at some point given how 1-16 matchups usually go but this is excellent news for the team.
Sasser was initially deemed probably to return in the semifinals but then was ruled out at halftime. Houston took on Memphis in the conference championship game, and Sasser was considered a game-time decision. He ended up not playing, and head coach Kelvin Sampson had said that Sasser was getting treatment at the team hotel. Houston hasn’t announced his availability for the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars will start off facing No. 16 Northern Kentucky on Thursday, March 16 at 9:20 p.m. ET.
More Marcus Sasser on the floor here in Birmingham @KHOU #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/9NfLCaiMtg
— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) March 15, 2023
UH guard Marcus Sasser on injury decision: "If I can play, I can play. Even through pain. You never know when you're last game is. I'm not trying to miss the game for nothing. For the most part, if I can go, I'm going to go."
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) March 15, 2023