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UH men's basketball releases complete schedule for the 2019-20 season

UH men's basketball releases complete schedule for the 2019-20 season
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The University of Houston men's basketball team announced the release of their 2019-2020 schedule on Friday. The Cougars will play a total of 32 games beginning with a home exhibition match against Angelo State on Nov. 9.

UH will tip-off their new season on Tuesday, Nov. 12 in a non-conference game against Alabama State inside the Fertitta Center in Houston. Highlighted by Oklahoma State making a trip to Houston on Sunday, Dec. 15, the Cougars' 10-game non-conference schedule will end against UTEP on Dec. 19, before taking part in the three-day invitational Diamond Head Classic from Dec. 22 - 25 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The start of the American Athletic Conference 18-game schedule begins on Friday, Jan. 3 with UFC at home, which follows a two-game road trip against Temple (Jan. 7) and Tulsa (Jan. 11). The Cougars will welcome in-state rival SMU to the Fertitta Center on Wednesday, Jan.15 and a trip to Cincinnati on Feb. 1 -- a rematch of the 2019 AAC championship game last spring. Houston will end their conference schedule on March 8 in an AAC home showdown against Memphis.

Last year, the University of Houston men's basketball team had one of their most successful seasons in school history. They finished the year with a 33-4 record and appeared in their second consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Cougars advanced to the Sweet-16 before falling to the Kentucky Wildcats in a 62-58 loss.

UH Men's Basketball program enters the 2019-20 college season looking to defend their American Athletic Conference title with two-time defending Conference Coach of the Year winner Kelvin Sampson leading the way.

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Is CJ Stroud recovering from a surgery? Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Coming out of Tuesday's Texans press conference, it feels like we may have been left with more questions than answers.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans continued to downplay CJ Stroud's “soreness” that has kept him from throwing at OTAs.

I noted in my article on Tuesday, that it I found it interesting that Ryans dodged a question from ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime about Stroud's availability for next week's mandatory minicamp.

However, Mike Florio of NBC Sports' biggest takeaway from the press conference really raised some red flags. When Ryans was asked if Stroud had any work performed on him in the offseason, his body language shifted dramatically. He started aggressively adjusting the sleeves on his shirt and looking quite uncomfortable. Seth Payne shared some similar thoughts on his YouTube channel, too.

Florio makes a point in the video below that coaches have to be careful with their movements during these press conferences when asked tough questions. Or people will start reading into body language and wonder why the coach is refusing to answer further questions on the subject.

Something DeMeco did Tuesday after the “work” question. Media members suddenly become professional poker players looking for any tell.

That's a “no” from me dawg

Florio's co-host Chris Simms on the other hand wasn't buying it. He believes if there was any kind of procedure in the offseason, somebody would have heard about it.

He chalks up Stroud's absence to something much more minor, like tendonitis in the shoulder or elbow. KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson is reporting that his sources are telling him Stroud is dealing with tightness in his shoulder muscle. So it could be something as simple as that.

At the end of the day, let's hope Simms and Wilson are correct, and this isn't something we should worry about with the season still several months away.

But it is worth mentioning, CJ is learning a new offense and working with many new receivers that are expected to make an impact this year (Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel). A lot could be achieved by throwing to his new weapons and gaining experience in an unfamiliar system.

Something has to be bothering him enough to miss these valuable reps.

Be sure to check out the video below for the full conversation and see where you come out on the debate.

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