Houston’s Sasser, Shead Say They’re ‘100 Percent’ Playing vs. Auburn

The Cougars star guards have all intentions of playing against Auburn on Saturday.

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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Marcus Sasser: “I’m 100 percent playing tomorrow.”
Jamal Shead: “I’m 100 percent going tomorrow.”

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 17, 2023

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.