Houston Cougars Basketball

Houston star Marcus Sasser announced Thursday he's declared for the 2023 NBA Draft.

"It is now time for me to take the next step and enter into the NBA draft," Sasser wrote on Instagram. "Wherever God's plan takes me next, the experiences I've had while playing for UH will always hold a special place in my heart."

Sasser was named AAC Player of the Year after leading his team in scoring with 16.8 points per game and helping the Cougars enter the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.

He announced his plan to enter the 2023 draft six days after Houston was eliminated in the Sweet 16 by the Miami Hurricanes.

He ranks No. 34 among 2023 prospects on Bleacher Report's latest NBA draft big board.

Sasser previously declared for last year's NBA draft. His standout performance at the 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp—he averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists through the two-day event—was enough to earn him an invite to the draft combine.

The 6'2" guard decided instead to return to Houston for his senior season. After the combine, he came back to the Cougars a different player, Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson told Texas Sports Nation.

"He's not the same kid that I got out of Red Oak High School," Sampson said in February. "When he came back, he didn't come back as the guy that was a freshman, sophomore or junior. He came back as a guy that's on the precipice of going to the NBA and he's had to learn how to deal with that."

Sasser went on to rebound from a 2021-22 campaign marred by injuries and lead the Cougars to the top of the AAC. Although limited by a late-season groin injury, he exploded for 22 points in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to help Houston reach the Sweet 16.

In his latest NBA Draft Big Board, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman said that Sasser—although undersized—offers "enough perimeter creation and shot-making to carve out some type of scoring-spark role."

That is helped by his wingspan—Sasser clocked in at the combine as 6'7" from fingertip to fingertip—and his ability to read plays from the three-point line. Those assets helped Sasser set Houston's all-time record for career three-pointers on March 5, when he sunk the 262nd of his career during a game against the Memphis Tigers.

Because of an extra year of eligibility granted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sasser could have returned to the Cougars for a fifth season.

Houston will now hope guard Jamal Shead, who will also submit his name to the 2023 NBA draft while retaining college eligibility, chooses to return to the Cougars next season in order to hang onto some strength from their 2022-23 backcourt.

After Houston's season came to an end with a Sweet 16 loss to Miami, Jarace Walker said he intends to enter the 2023 NBA draft.

Walker confirmed following the Cougars' 89-75 defeat on Friday night he plans to turn pro after one year in college.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Walker ranked as the sixth-best player in this year's draft class:

"Aside from the easy baskets he picks up off his power and length, he's demonstrated promising shooting range (33 3PTM), shot-making from the post and footwork and touch shots on drives past closeouts. His NBA coach may also be surprised to see how skilled of a live-dribble passer he is, something he was able to show more of at IMG."

Walker's decision doesn't come as a surprise, especially since head coach Kelvin Sampson said on his radio show on March 6 that he expected as much.

The Baltimore native has been preparing for the NBA since high school, when he transferred to IMG Academy for the 2018-19 academic year.

IMG has one of the most prestigious high school basketball programs in the country. Walker was on the team that won the national title in April 2019 by defeating No. 1 La Lumiere, 65-55, in the championship game.

A 5-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Walker committed to Houston in November 2021. He earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

The Cougars spent seven weeks ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this season. They earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1983 and tied the school record with 33 wins.

Wasserman recently projected Walker to be the No. 5 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2023 draft on the strength of his "outstanding" size and "flashes of shooting, touch shots, close-out drives and passes" that have the potential to get better as he gains experience.

Power forward isn't a position the Magic need to fill with Paolo Banchero having an outstanding rookie season and Bol Bol emerging as a capable role player, but they can add the best talent and figure out the fit later.

Houston's 89-75 loss to Miami in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on Friday night didn't just bust a whole lot of brackets, it also ended Jim McIngvale's—more commonly known as Mattress Mack—dream of winning $35 million.

McIngvale bet $4 million in total on the Cougars to win the NCAA tournament, the payout would have been the second-largest in sports betting history. He is already the owner of the biggest payout ever after he won $75 million with the Houston winning the 2022 World Series.

A furniture businessman who lives and works in Houston, McIngvale hitched his wagon to one of the best teams in the country as the Cougars entered the Sweet 16 with the second-best odds to win the whole thing at the +350, only trailing Alabama at +275.

The Crimson Tide also lost Friday night against San Diego State.

Houston was the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region after another terrific season under coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars went 33-4 this season and 17-1 in the American Athletic Conference, they also had one of the nation's premier players in Marcus Sasser.

They will now miss out on the opportunity to play in the Final Four in front of their home fans at NRG Stadium.

Marcus Sasser was a major question mark entering Saturday, but the All-American was a major reason No. 1 Houston survived an upset bid from No. 9 Auburn.

Sasser scored 22 points as the Cougars earned an 81-64 come-from-behind win in the second-round matchup. It was especially impressive considering he was dealing with a groin injury that limited him during the first-round game.

Sasser was up and down during the game, sitting for long stretches because of foul trouble. However, he was there was Houston needed him at the start of the second half with the Cougars overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit.

Fans loved what they were seeing from the senior:

When Auburn began creeping back in the final minutes, it was Sasser who made the clutch three-pointer to keep Houston in control:

Tramon Mark scored a team-high 26 points, but it was Sasser who came through in the game's biggest moments. The guard's 5-of-9 three-point shooting was especially valuable to avoid the upset.

March Madness had already been living up to its name over the first three days of this year's event. No. 1 seed Purdue was eliminated by No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in Friday's first-round game, while No. 8 Arkansas knocked out No. 1 Kansas earlier on Saturday.

With No. 15 Princeton advancing to the Sweet 16, nothing was really going to surprise fans as the second round continued.

Auburn still impressed at the start of Saturday's matchup against Houston, building a 41-31 lead over the top seed in the Midwest region. The offensive play turned heads against one of the best defensive teams in college basketball.

It was enough to make this a potentially historic NCAA tournament:

Houston still rallied in the second half, needing about seven minutes to take over the lead thanks to Sasser's hot shooting. The defense and depth was key down the stretch as the Cougars pulled away, but it's clear they need their star healthy to make a deep run in the tournament.

Houston now advances to the Sweet 16 for the fourth tournament in a row and will face the winner of Indiana and Miami on Friday in Kansas City.

Make your picks: Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge and Tournament Run.

Houston Cougars star guard Marcus Sasser, who has been dealing with a groin injury, is good to start without restrictions for his team's second-round matchup against Auburn in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Saturday, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

Sasser suffered the groin injury last Saturday in the AAC tournament semifinals. He did not play in his team's championship game loss to Memphis but returned for its first-round victory in the NCAA tournament against Northern Kentucky.

However, Sasser left and did not return after 14 minutes of play when he appeared to aggravate the injury.

Sasser, who was named the AAC's Player of the Year, told reporters Friday that he was committed to playing the second-round matchup.

"I'm 100 percent playing tomorrow," Sasser said. "I've been doing a lot of treatment and stretching and massages and things like that to get ready."

Sasser averages 16.7 points per game.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

After Marcus Sasser was removed from Houston's 63-52 win over Northern Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, head coach Kelvin Sampson defended playing the star guard even though he came into the game with a groin injury.

Speaking to reporters following the game, Sampson said Sasser and the team's trainer felt he was healthy enough to play.

"I've been with Marcus for four years," Sampson explained. "I trust Marcus and I trust our trainer. I leave those decisions up to them. Marcus knows his body better than anyone in this room, including me. So I would have been fine if Marcus had decided not to play tonight, but he wanted to give it a try because he thought he was at a high enough percentage out of 100 that he could go."

Sasser originally injured his groin in the first half of Houston's AAC tournament semifinal win over Cincinnati on March 11. The injury occurred when he slipped on the court while dribbling the ball.

Sampson said after that game the team's medical staff was still evaluating Sasser, but he wanted to "err on the side of holding him out" of the AAC title game against Memphis. The senior guard sat out that contest, a 75-65 loss for the Cougars.

Despite the loss, Houston still earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Sasser didn't practice with the team until Wednesday. He was officially listed as a game-time decision against Northern Kentucky.

Sasser was in the starting lineup and played 14 minutes before being pulled from the game. He finished with five points and two rebounds. The AAC Player of the Year said afterward there is "definitely" a chance he can play in Saturday's game against Auburn.

Houston struggled against the No. 16 seed Norse before closing the game on an 8-2 run to avoid the massive upset. Sixty-three points was the team's fifth-lowest scoring output in a game all season.

Sasser leads the Cougars in scoring average (16.7 points per game) and is shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range. The team shot 25 percent from behind the arc against Northern Kentucky.

Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1982-83 season. Its 32 wins are tied for the second-most in school history.

The Cougars and Tigers will play in the second round of the NCAA tournament at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Let the Madness begin.

The first round of the 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament starts Thursday with a showdown between the Big Ten's Maryland Terrapins and Big 12's West Virginia Mountaineers. From there, March Madness will live up to its moniker with a run of single-elimination matchups that goes until the national title is decided on April 3.

Every tournament game can be streamed at March Madness Live. Here is the broadcast information for each contest, per NCAA.com:

Thursday, March 16 (Round of 64. All times Eastern)

• No. 9 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Maryland | 12:15 p.m. | CBS 
• No. 13 Furman vs. No. 4 Virginia  | 12:40 p.m. | truTV 
• No. 10 Utah St. vs. No. 7 Missouri  | 1:40 p.m. | TNT 
• No. 16 Howard vs. No. 1 Kansas  | 2 p.m. | TBS 
• No. 16 Texas A&M CC vs. No. 1 Alabama | 2:45 p.m. | CBS  
• No. 12 College of Charleston vs. No. 5 San Diego St. | 3:10 p.m. | truTV 
• No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 2 Arizona | 4:10 p.m. | TNT 
• No. 9 Illinois vs. No. 8 Arkansas | 4:30 p.m. | TBS  
• No. 9 Auburn vs. No. 8 Iowa | 6:50 p.m. | TNT 
• No. 12 Oral Roberts vs. No. 5 Duke | 7:10 p.m. | CBS
• No. 15 Colgate vs.  No. 2 Texas | 7:25 p.m. | TBS
• No. 10 Boise St. vs. No. 7 Northwestern | 7:35 p.m. | truTV 
• No. 16 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 1 Houston | 9:20 p.m. | TNT
• No. 13 Louisiana vs. No. 4 Tennessee | 9:40 p.m. | CBS
• No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M | 9:55 p.m. | TBS 
• No. 15 UNC Asheville vs. No. 2 UCLA | 10:05 p.m. | truTV 

Friday, March 17 (Round of 64. All times Eastern)

• No. 10 USC vs. No. 7 Michigan State | 12:15 p.m. |CBS 
• No. 14 Kennesaw St. vs. No. 3 Xavier | 12:40 p.m. | truTV 
• No. 14 UC Santa Barbra vs. No. 3 Baylor | 1:30 p.m. | TNT 
• No. 12 VCU vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's | 2 p.m. | TBS
• No. 15 Vermont vs. No. 2 Marquette | 2:45 p.m. | CBS 
• No. 11 Pitt vs. No. 6 Iowa State | 3:10 p.m. | truTV 
• No. 11 NC State vs. No. 6 Creighton | 4 p.m. | TNT 
• No. 13 Iona vs. No. 4 UConn | 4:30 p.m. | TBS
• No. 16 Texas Southern/Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 1 Purdue | 6:50 p.m. | TNT 
• No. 11 Providence vs. No. 6 Kentucky | 7:10 p.m. | CBS 
• No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Miami | 7:25 p.m | TBS 
• No. 14 Grand Canyon vs. No. 3 Gonzaga | 7:35 p.m. | truTV 
• No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 8 Memphis | 9:20 p.m.| TNT
• No. 14 Montana St. vs. No. 3 Kansas St. | 9:40 p.m. | CBS 
• No. 13 Kent State vs. No. 4 Indiana | 9:55 p.m. | TBS 
• No. 11 Arizona St/Nevada vs. No. 6 TCU | 10:05 p.m. | truTV 

Saturday, March 18 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | noon | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 2:30 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream |  5 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 6 p.m. | TNT
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 7 p.m. | TBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 7:30 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 8:30 p.m. | TNT
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 9:30 p.m. | TBS

Sunday, March 19 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | noon | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 2:30 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 5 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 6 p.m. | TNT
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 7 p.m. | TBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 7:30 p.m. | truTV
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 8:30 p.m. | TNT
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 9:30 p.m. | TBS

Thursday, March 23 (Sweet 16. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 6:15 p.m. | TBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 7 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 8:45 p.m. | TBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 9:30 p.m. | CBS

Friday, March 24 (Sweet 16. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 6:15 p.m. | TBS 
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 7 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 8:45 p.m. | TBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 9:30 p.m. | CBS

Saturday, March 25 (Elite 8. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 6 p.m. | TBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 8:30 p.m. | TBS

Sunday, March 26 (Elite 8. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 2 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 4:55 p.m. | CBS

Saturday, April 1 (Final Four. All times Eastern)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 6 p.m. | CBS
• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 8:30 p.m. | CBS

Monday, April 3 (National championship game)

• TBD vs. TBD live stream | 9 p.m. ET | CBS

The four No. 1 seeds in this year's tournament are Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.

While the Cougars may be overlooked by some because they are in the American Athletic Conference and not one of the traditional power leagues, they are the top team in KenPom.com's rankings and can win the game on either side of the floor with the No. 4 defense and No. 11 offense.

Yet it will be the Jayhawks looking for back-to-back titles if they can escape a daunting West Region that includes UCLA, Gonzaga and UConn.

Throw in the Crimson Tide going for their first Final Four in program history and the Boilermakers attempting to win the Big Ten its first national title since 2000 and there will be no shortage of storylines for the top seeds as the tournament gets underway.

It's a digital world, but few things are more satisfying as a sports fan than going old school by printing out an NCAA tournament bracket and following along with all the Big Dance action after filling it out by hand.

Fortunately, that option is still available in 2023.

The selection committee announced the 68-team field for the 2023 NCAA men's tournament on Sunday, and here's where fans can go to download and print out the entire bracket:

Make your picks: Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge and Tournament Run.

While the tournament is known as March Madness in large part because of the upsets and Cinderella stories that capture the nation's attention for a month, the best way to win any bracket pool is by picking the correct national champion to advance through the field.

With that in mind, the thought here is the Houston Cougars will cut down the nets in April.

Don't be scared off by Houston's place in the American Athletic Conference. This is a team that lost two games throughout the entire regular season, and one of those defeats came by six points in a hard-fought battle against fellow No. 1 seed Alabama.

It won on the road against Virginia and Oregon, and its lone conference loss before the AAC tournament came by a single point against Temple.

Marcus Sasser can take over a game as a scorer, while Jarace Walker and J'Wan Roberts control the boards and provide secondary offense. There are enough options in place to match up with even the nation's best teams, which should help the Cougars in a variety of matchups.

Most importantly, the Cougars can win on both ends of the floor.

Houston boasts almost unmatched balance, sitting 11th and fourth, respectively in KenPom.com's offensive and defensive efficiency rankings. Potential championship contenders such as Gonzaga have defensive concerns, while others such as Tennessee struggle to score at times.

Yet the Cougars can win in a variety of ways with a strong offense and defense, which puts less pressure on each game. It can rely on the defense if the offense isn't clicking on a given night and vice versa.

That formula will be enough for Houston to win the national championship.

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson is among the 15 candidates being considered for the Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year award.

Sampson has had Houston ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll all season. His team spent four weeks atop the poll earlier this season and currently sits at No. 2 amid a six-game winning streak.

Nate Oats' Alabama squad moved to the top spot in the AP poll this week. He is also on the watch list for the award with the Crimson Tide on pace for one of the best seasons in school history.

Here are all 15 coaches cited by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on the late-season watch list for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year:

• Kelvin Sampson, Houston
• Nate Oats, Alabama
• Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
• Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh
• Chris Collins, Northwestern
• Mick Cronin, UCLA
• Dennis Gates, Missouri
• Pat Kelsey, College of Charleston
• Dusty May, Florida Atlantic
• Sean Miller, Xavier
• T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
• Matt Painter, Purdue
• Shaka Smart, Marquette
• Jerome Tang, Kansas State
• Rodney Terry, Texas

One thing that stands out about the watch list is the near-certainty that there will be a first-time winner of the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year award.

None of the candidates cited by the Atlanta Tipoff Club has ever won previously. The head coaches for each of the top four teams in the current AP Top 25 are on the watch list (Sampson; Oats; Matt Painter, Purdue; Mick Cronin, UCLA).

In his fourth season at Alabama, Oats has turned the program into a powerhouse and a top contender for the national title. This is the first season the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since January 2003.

Alabama will likely lose that spot in the poll next week coming off a 68-59 loss at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday.

The Cougars are the most-likely team to move into the No. 1 spot. They have rebounded nicely since their Jan. 22 loss to Temple. This is their third winning streak of at least six games this season.

Sampson has Houston six wins away from its second consecutive 30-win season. The last time that happened was during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons when Hakeem Olajuwon played for the team.

The Boilermakers' recent struggles could cost Painter a shot at the award. They have dropped three of their last four games after starting the season 23-1, though they still sit atop the Big Ten standings.

Purdue plays three of its final four regular-season games at home, including a showdown against No. 14 Indiana on Feb. 25.

Cronin has UCLA trending in the right direction since back-to-back road losses at Arizona and USC last month. The Bruins have won five straight and don't play a ranked opponent until No. 8 Arizona in the regular-season finale on March 4.

One potential spoiler in this group is Northwestern's Chris Collins. The Wildcats will almost certainly make the AP Top 25 next week for the first time this season. They are 19-7 overall and are coming off back-to-back wins over No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Indiana.

Collins has Northwestern one victory away from its first 20-win season since 2016-17. That was also the last time the program made the NCAA tournament.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the 10 semifinalists on March 9. The group will be whittled down to four on March 20, with the winner being announced on April 2 at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Final Four in Houston.