SMU’s Mike Walker runs past the Thundering Herd in SMU’s close loss to Marshall. (Lindsey Perkins)

The SMU men’s basketball team will have revenge on its mind when they travel to Houston to face the University of Houston Cougars on Saturday night. Houston (18-5, 7-2) is currently second in the conference standings, and beat SMU (8-14, 2-7) in its trip to Dallas in January by a score of 99-71.

Last time out, the Mustangs lost a painfully close game at home to the Marshall Thundering Herd on a last second three-point shot. The loss was particularly tough because the three-point shot was a fade away from over three feet behind the arc.

Senior guard Jon Killen has led the Mustangs through conference play with leadership on the court and his scoring ability. Killen is averaging 15.9 points per game in conference play, while posting more than six assists per game.

Over the past couple of games, junior center Bamba Fall and senior guard Derrick Roberts have played large roles on both ends of the court. Their efforts helped the Mustangs get their second conference win over Rice and nearly got SMU its third conference win on Wednesday night against Marshall.

Roberts is averaging 19 points over his last two games and has continued his role as the Mustangs’ defensive stopper. He is often faced with the challenge of guarding opposing teams’ most potent scorer on the perimeter.

Over the last couple of weeks, Roberts has been battling migrane headaches that make it difficult to practice and play in games. After the game against Marshall, Roberts commented, “They [migranes] have been coming and going. Actually, tonight it wasn’t a big problem and I hope it stays that way.”

Similarly, Bamba Fall has stepped up his scoring efforts and has been the face of the Mustangs’ interior defense. In conference play, Fall is averaging 11.6 points, 5 rebounds and more than two blocks per game.

The game will take place on Saturday night at the Hofheinz at 7.