The fifth-ranked Houston Cougars had rolled to a pair of easy victories following their 15-day pause of team activities caused by a COVID-19 outbreak, but an inevitable test awaited them.
That challenge came on Saturday night in Orlando in the form of a UCF squad coming off a road upset of then-No. 15 Florida State. Despite some ragged moments, Houston (7-0, 2-0 American) found a way to squeeze out a 63-54 victory that kept its perfect record intact.
"I refuse to overreact when we play poorly or really good because we just haven't had enough time to get in the gym with each other," Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said.