Houston forward J’Wan Roberts on status for the NCAA tourney: ‘I’m doing pretty good’
Right out of the gate, J’Wan Roberts was asked the opening question at Houston’s media availability prior to Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opening-round game in Wichita.
The Cougars' forward was asked during a press conference Wednesday whether he will be good to go Thursday when the Cougars start their tournament with a first-round game in the Midwest Region against SIU Edwardsville. He sprained his ankle during Houston’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal win last week against Colorado and sat out the Cougars’ semifinal win against BYU and the championship-game win against Arizona.
But Roberts believes he is going to be good to go come Thursday, though he hinted he may not be back at full strength.
“I’m doing pretty good, being in a lot of treatment and just taking it day by day so I can be 100 percent for (Thursday),” Roberts said.
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Roberts is the Cougars’ top rebounder, averaging 6.3 boards per game. He is fourth on the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game, and has also made 50.2% of his field goal attempts.
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Having Roberts back in the fold can only enhance Houston’s chances going into the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all. Roberts, who was joined at Wednesday’s press conference by guards LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, was also asked how much would it mean to help Houston coach Kelvin Sampson finally win a national title.
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“It would definitely mean a lot,” Roberts said. “You know, I feel like he’s put in so much love and effort into this game, and you know, he’s been everywhere, especially winning-wise. And I feel like it’s one more accolade that he needs to solidify everything.
“We’re going to try our hardest to give him that one last push.”
Houston’s first-round game against SIU Edwardsville is set for 1 p.m. Thursday, the first of four games taking place at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena. The game will be televised by TBS.
