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Sasser looks to lead No. 1 Houston to title in last season

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Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Houston guard Marcus Sasser (0) drives the lane against Memphis guard Elijah McCadden, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)

HOUSTON ā€“ Marcus Sasser weighed many factors in deciding whether to return for his senior season at Houston.

The chance that he could lead the top-ranked Cougars to their first national title at home, with the Final Four being played in Houston, made his decision to come back much easier.

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ā€œThat was a big factor because thatā€™s once in a lifetime, that really doesnā€™t happen where the national championship is in your city and itā€™s like youā€™re playing the national championship at home,ā€ he told The Associated Press. ā€œSo, I feel like that would be one of the best moments in college basketball really.ā€

Houston reclaimed the top spot in the AP menā€™s college basketball poll on Monday after winning seven straight, capped by a 72-64 victory over Memphis on Sunday, when Sasser scored 20 points.

The preseason AP All-America selection leads Houston (25-2, 13-1 American) by averaging 16.7 points a game. Sasser has made a strong comeback this season after suffering a season-ending foot injury just 12 games into the 2021-22 season.

Sasser is rounding into form after saying he didnā€™t really feel like himself until about 10 games into this season after sitting out for so long. Though he couldnā€™t play for most of last season, he tried to stay engaged with the team in other ways.

ā€œIt was hard,ā€ he said. ā€œI always wanted to be out there with them, but I just feel like it made me learn basketball from a different way,ā€ he said. ā€œI couldnā€™t be out there, so I tried to turn a negative to a positive really. And I did that by just watching a lot of film, seeing the game from a different perspective.ā€

Coach Kelvin Sampson spoke about Sasserā€™s development from when he joined the program in 2019 until now. The veteran coach, who has led a remarkable resurgence at the school, said the most important way in which heā€™s grown is his confidence.

But from the moment he met the guard, he knew that he would be a good fit for his program.

ā€œThereā€™s just something about Marcus that I like,ā€ Sampson said. ā€œHe had a quiet maturity about him.ā€

And it didnā€™t hurt that he was a good shooter, the kind of player that Sampson likes to stack his team with. Sasser is shooting 43% overall this season and is 37.4% on 3-pointers.

Though Sasser knows heā€™s a much better player than he was when he first arrived at Houston, heā€™s looking to take his game to another level as the NCAA Tournament approaches.

ā€œIā€™m just staying in the gym 24/7," he said. ā€œWorking on the little details, thatā€™s kind of a big thing. Because I feel like if you just look at the bigger picture and skip the details, then somethingā€™s going to be missing in your game. So thatā€™s what I hang my hat on, itā€™s just details and getting better at the little things every day.ā€

This is the first season in which the Cougars have been ranked No. 1 since the Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler-led Phi Slama Jama team ended the regular season in the top spot in 1983. That year, Houston reached the Final Four for a second straight season before losing to North Carolina State 54-52 in the title game.

Sasser is well versed in the history of that team and has grown close to Olajuwon in his time at the school.

ā€œOne of the first things I knew about was the Phi Slama Jama teams when I came here,ā€ he said. ā€œSo, the history was a big part of the reason I came here for real."

As he rounds out his college career, Sasser has helped the Cougars to heights not seen since those days. He was a starter during the 2020-21 season when Houston reached the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Baylor in the national semifinal.

The Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight last season despite losing Sasser in December.

On a recent day at the teamā€™s training facility, Sasser wore a beanie he got during the teamā€™s trip to the Final Four as he talked about Houstonā€™s goal of getting there again.

But he doesnā€™t simply have designs on taking the Cougars that far. He wants to cap his career by helping this Houston squad accomplish what even those lauded Phi Slama Jama teams couldnā€™t.

Sasser wants to bring a championship to the school.

ā€œItā€™s extra motivation to try to be better than them so they can tip their hats off to us,ā€ he said. ā€œThey had a crazy runā€¦ so if we can get past them or even do something bigger than them, thatā€™ll be big for us and this program. And for us to be a part of that would just be special for Houston.ā€

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25


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