WICHITA, Kan. — The Houston Cougars are back in action in the NCAA Tournament tonight, taking on Gonzaga in Wichita, Kansas. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:40 p.m.

The second-ranked Coogs are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. Houston comes in with a 31-4 record, Houston won both the regular season Big 12 title and the Big 12 tournament. They’re taking on a Gonzaga team that comes in with a 26-8 record and a No. 8 seeding in the Midwest. The Zags are fresh off an 89-68 rout of Georgia. 

Houston is a 5.5-point favorite, and fresh off a 78-40 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. If the Coogs hope to move on to the Sweet 16, they’ll need to slow down a team that knows how to move the ball around. Gonzaga ranks No. 1 in the country in assists. We’ll see tonight how that stacks up against a Houston team known for its defense, making teams uncomfortable and rebounding. 

You can see Jason Bristol’s preview of the game in the video window above.

Got plans for the game? Why don’t you spend it with KHOU 11 and the University of Houston at the official watch party downtown! Here are the details.

The Cougars are 22-1 against Big 12 opponents and 9-3 in non-conference play. Houston has a 29-4 record against opponents over .500.

The Bulldogs are 16-4 in WCC play. Gonzaga ranks fourth in the WCC allowing 69.6 points while holding opponents to 41.2% shooting.

Houston’s average of 8.1 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.8 more made shots on average than the 7.3 per game Gonzaga gives up. Gonzaga has shot at a 50.1% clip from the field this season, 12.0 percentage points higher than the 38.1% shooting opponents of Houston have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: LJ Cryer is averaging 15.2 points for the Cougars. Milos Uzan is averaging 14.7 points over the last 10 games.

Graham Ike is scoring 17.0 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Bulldogs. Khalif Battle is averaging 15.3 points and 1.6 steals over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cougars: 10-0, averaging 72.1 points, 32.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.5 points per game.

Bulldogs: 9-1, averaging 84.6 points, 33.4 rebounds, 20.4 assists, 7.6 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.6 points.