The Sam Houston State Bearkats face Oral Roberts today in the first of two contests to be played at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico, as part of the Cancun Challenge.
The Cancun Challenge features eight men’s NCAA Division I college basketball teams with eight games played in the U.S., and eight games played at the all-inclusive Moon Palace resort.
“This trip is an excellent opportunity for the team to become closer as a squad,” Sam Houston head coach Bob Marlin said. “This is a beautiful complex and the players are excited to be here.”
The facility the Bearkats will play in today and Wednesday is unique.
“It’s actually a huge ballroom converted into a basketball court,” Marlin said. “It’s a little strange to see chandeliers on the ceiling but it’s going to be a good experience.”
The four teams which hosted U.S. games are in one four-team bracket,while the four squads that all played road games for their stateside contests are in another.
Sam Houston came close to pulling off an upset. The Bearkats fell to No. 4 Kentucky 102-92 in Lexington last Thursday night. Sam Houston was only eight points behind with six minutes to play thanks to a record-setting performance by Bearkat senior guard Corey Allmond, who totaled 11 3-point baskets and scored 37 points.
The Bearkats lost 80-65 at Cleveland State on Saturday.
Oral Roberts defeated Stanford 83-81 last Wednesday, but lost to Virginia 76-55 after traveling across the country to play Saturday.
On the other side of Sam Houston’s Cancun bracket, Rider faces off with Florida A&M; today. Rider lost 79-46 at Virginia on Thursday and 92-63 at Kentucky on Saturday. Florida A&M; fell 78-64 at Cleveland State and 99-69 at Stanford on Saturday.
Sam Houston State enters today’s contest with three players scoring in double figures. Allmond has scored 76 points in the Kats’ four contests for a 19-point scoring average. Allmond is 18-of-39 from 3-point range for a .462 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Junior post player Gilberto Clavell is adding 12.8 points per contest and senior forward Preston Brown is scoring 10.3 points per game.
On Wednesday, the winners of today’s contests will play at 3 p.m. while the losers will meet at 12:30 p.m.
