Bearcats blown out by Houston in AAC semifinals, await potential NIT invite

FORT WORTH, Texas –After racking up their 21st win of the season Friday, beating Temple by 30, the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team couldn't find the hole Saturday at Dickies Arena, losing to Houston 69-48.

Houston had three in double figures with Jamal Shead and J'Wan Roberts hitting for 16 and future NBA draft pick Jarace Walker popping in 13.

UC's top scorer was Landers Nolley II with 14 but he was just 3-of-13 from the field. Grad student David DeJulius was only 1-for 10.

The Bearcats shot just 25.5% and were only 6-for-28 on treys. On the boards, Houston also won handily, 44-32. The Bearcats maybe played their best and worst games back-to-back in Fort Worth.

UC basketballFive reasons why the Bearcats thrashed Temple to set up pivotal game against Houston

The No. 1 ranked Houston Cougars. Kelvin Sampson's squad sits atop the polls, the NCAA NET rankings and the KenPom.com computations.

Houston is now 31-2 and owns three wins this season over the 21-12 Bearcats. The Cougars won by 13 at Fifth Third Arena in January. Later in the month, UC lost by six in Houston after leading at halftime and by 11 with 11:28 remaining in the game. Saturday, in front of a Texas crowd, the Cougars rolled.

UC now hopes for a possible NIT bid. They have put in a bid to host a game at Fifth Third Arena. A UC source also says they could only host one game as the facility wold be unavailable for a second date.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats suffer blow-out loss to Houston in AAC semifinals