Marcus Sasser, Jamal Shead share latest on injuries

Houston‘s Marcus Sasser suffered a groin injury during the semifinals of the AAC Tournament two weeks ago and didn’t play in the championship game. He was limited in Houston’s NCAA Tournament opener, but exploded back onto the scene in the second round against Auburn.

After earning the week to rest before taking on Miami Friday night in the Sweet 16, Sasser revealed that he won’t be 100 percent heading into March Madness’s second weekend.

“I’ve just been doing a good job getting treatment, massages, stretches. I’ve been handling it good,” Sasser said ahead of the Sweet 16. “I’d say I’ll probably be around 90 percent by Friday, so I’ve been getting healthy.”

Sasser said that any time he felt a strain in his groin during the win over Auburn, he chose to block it out. And it worked. The 2023 AAC Player of the Year played like he wasn’t injured, pouring on 22 points on a 50 percent clip to go with five made 3-pointers.

The importance of having Sasser, who was voted a First Team All-American this season, on the court for the Cougars goes without saying, but when the ailments begin to pile up — that’s when it becomes worrisome for Houston. Sasser’s backcourt cohort Jamal Shead, has been playing through a minor knee injury as well, though Shead said he was 100 percent heading into the game.

Sasser and Shead know how important this weekend is to Houston that they are on the court against the ‘Canes on Friday. Together, they combine to average 27.3 points per game — good for 36 percent of Houston’s overall offensive production.

“We understand what’s at stake and we know what’s at home, but you’ve got to win to get there,” Shead said. “So that’s where our focus has been — on this next game — because Miami is not a pushover.”

Miami is also dealing with an injury to a key player as well. Wooga Poplar took a hard fall last weekend against Indiana and led to a bone bruise on his back. Thursday was the first opportunity for Miami to get him back on the court after sitting him the previous two days.

Tip-off between Houston and Miami is set for Friday at 7:15 p.m. ET live on CBS. The Cougars come in as a 7.5-point favorite, per Caesars Sportsbook while ESPN’s Matchup Predictor only gives Miami a 10.5 percent chance to advance to the Elite Eight. The over/under is set at 138.

The winner will face whichever team comes out on top between Xavier and Texas with a trip to the Final Four on the line.