HEAD OF THE CLASS

Houston debuts in Big 12 with 3 remarkable achievements

Houston Cougars Kelvin Sampson
The Cougars didn't skip a beat after changing conferences. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Houston had no problem adjusting to the Big 12, going right to the top in its new conference.

Cougars senior point guard Jamal Shead was named The Associated Press Big 12 player of the year Tuesday and Kelvin Sampson the league's top coach. The nation's No. 1 team wrapped up its first regular season in the Big 12 by winning the outright conference championship; Houston (28-3) won the American Athletic title the last two years.

Kansas senior center Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-2 transfer from Michigan who was voted the Big 12's top newcomer, and Shead were unanimous AP first-team picks as determined by a panel of 17 journalists who cover the league. Three graduates rounded out the first team, Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr., and Texas teammates Dylan Disu and Max Abmas.

Shead is averaging 13.2 points, 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals a game for the Cougars and is the only player ranked in the top 20 nationally for assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.14 to 1). He got 16 votes for AP top player, and Dickinson got one.

“A point guard’s greatest statistic is did his team win, and Jamal cares more about winning than any individual statistic," Sampson said. "In my 35 years, he is the greatest leader I have ever coached.”

Dickinson is the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double, at 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds a game and leads the league making 55% of his field goals. He got 15 first-place votes for top newcomer; Oral Roberts transfer Abmas (16.8 ppg) got the other two.

Sampson got nine votes for coach of the year, and T.J. Otzelberger from Big 12 runner-up and seventh-ranked Iowa State got six. The remaining votes were split by Texas Tech's Grant McCasland and BYU's Mark Pope.

FIRST TEAM

u-Center — Hunter Dickinson, Kansas, 7-2, 260, Sr., Alexandria, Virginia.

u-Guard — Jamal Shead, Houston, 6-1, 200, Sr., Manor, Texas.

Guard — Max Abmas, Texas, 6-0, 175, Gr., Rockwall, Texas.

Guard — Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas, 6-7, 212, Gr., San Antonio, Texas.

Forward — Dylan Disu, Texas, 6-9, 225, Gr., Pflugerville, Texas.

—“u-” denotes unanimous selection.

SECOND TEAM

Guard — L.J. Cryer, Houston, 6-1, 200, Sr., Katy, Texas.

Guard — RayJ Dennis, Baylor, 6-2, 180, Sr., Plainview, Illinois.

Guard — Pop Isaacs, Texas Tech, 6-2, 180, So., Las Vegas.

Guard — Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State, 6-1, 200, So., Ames, Iowa.

Forward — Emanuel Miller, TCU, 6-7, 215, Sr., Scarborough, Ontario.

___

Coach of the year — Kelvin Sampson, Houston.

Player of the year — Jamal Shead, Houston.

Newcomer of the year — Hunter Dickinson, Kansas.

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Houston Astros survive ninth-inning threat to top Rays

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Astros let lead slip late in tough loss to Rays

Chas McCormick gets another start in Game 2. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros will aim to lock up a series victory Tuesday night as they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a three-game set. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Houston (25–22) took the opener 4–3 on Monday and has now won five of its last ten games, continuing a recent surge that has pulled them back above .500 and into second place in the AL West. Tampa Bay (21–26) sits fourth in the AL East and has struggled to find consistency, especially at home where they are now just 11–18.

The Astros will turn to left-hander Brandon Walter, who is set to make his season debut. Walter, a depth option from the Astros' system, gets the nod with the club working through recent rotation injuries.

The Rays counter with right-hander Zack Littell (3–5, 4.31 ERA), who has been solid but not dominant across his first nine starts. He’s struck out 32 batters in 54.1 innings with a strong 1.12 WHIP.

Team trends

Houston holds the AL’s fifth-best team on-base percentage (.318) and has gone 6–4 over its last 10 games, posting a .252 batting average and a 3.78 team ERA in that span. Tampa Bay is 5–5 over its last 10, hitting .236 while their pitching staff has combined for a 4.34 ERA.

Players to watch

  • Jake Meyers continues to provide timely power for Houston, while Isaac Paredes has been one of Houston's steadiest hitters, going 11-for-37 with three home runs over his last 10 games.
  • Jonathan Aranda leads the Rays with a .309 batting average and has been a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup.
  • Chandler Simpson, a recent spark plug for Tampa, is hitting .364 over his last 10 games.

Betting line

According to BetMGM, the Astros are slight road favorites at -114, with the Rays at -105. The over/under is set at 9.5 runs, signaling expectations for a potentially high-scoring matchup.

With the series opener in their pocket and Walter making his first appearance of the year, the Astros will look to keep momentum rolling in Tampa and inch closer to the top of the AL West standings.

Here's a look at Tuesday's night's lineup:

Yainer Diaz gets the night off, with Victor Caratini catching Walter in his big league debut. Chas McCormick is in the lineup again playing left field, and Zach Dezenzo gets the nod in the DH spot.

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