No. 1 Houston takes down No. 16 Northern Kentucky

First-team All-America guard Marcus Sasser scored just five points before aggravating a groin injury, but top-seeded Houston fought its way to a 63-52 victory over 16th-seeded Northern Kentucky in Midwest Regional first-round play Thursday night in Birmingham, Ala.

Freshman Jarace Walker led the Cougars (32-3) with 16 points while Jamal Shead battled a troublesome knee to contribute 13 points. J'Wan Roberts added 11 poin