Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson held a press conference earlier on Thursday in advance of the Cougars’ Big 12 Conference game Saturday at Kansas State.

The Cougars (11-3, 3-0) come into Saturday’s game riding a seven-game win streak and is in a three-way tie atop the league with Iowa State and Arizona. Houston dominated BYU by 31 points last Saturday and on Monday, the Cougars downed TCU, 65-46.

Kansas State (7-7, 1-2) is coming off a double-digit loss Tuesday at Oklahoma State.

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Here are some things Sampson talked about in Thursday’s press conference:

On Kansas State 6-foot-10 senior forward Coleman Hawkins

(Hawkins comes into Saturday’s game averaging 10.7 points per game, one of four Wildcats averaging double figures. He also averages 7.1 rebounds.)

“He’s got a very high basketball IQ, (and is an) excellent playmaker. He’s a kid that’s capable of getting a triple-double; he’s a good rebounder and is a really good passer, he’s making his 3’s. He requires your attention, but he’s actually been fun to watch.

“I’ve watched him just the last two days; I hadn’t really seen a lot of Kansas State this year. … Coach (Jerome) Tang does a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he causes problems for the defense. And then on top of that, he’s 6-10. He’s not your atypical 4 man, he’s a point forward. … He’s good enough to find the open guy and they’ve got good players around him.

“(Junior guard Brendan) Hausen is a shooter, (junior guard Dug) McDaniel is a playmaker, (senior guard) Max Jones is kind of a do-everything guy, a good player. (Junior guard) C.J. Jones is athletic and can really guard and get in the paint. … (Senior forward David) N’Guessan is another tough matchup. I think their best player to date has probably been N’Guessan, but the most dangerous player is certainly Hawkins.”

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On the atmosphere Houston will face Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum

(Sampson is very familiar with Kansas State’s home arena, nicknamed the “Octagon of Doom,” from his days coaching at another former Big 12 school, Oklahoma)

“I’m sure if you go back and look at the scores of those games, a couple of them I remember, but I do know on Saturday afternoons, those K-State fans, I think, are special. That place seats around 14,000, and we’ve been in there many nights when there’s 14,000. It doesn’t matter how cold or how much snow.

“Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Missouri, all those were stops I made in the Big Eight and the Big 12 for a lot of years. But they all have great fanbases. … (Kansas State has) great students, their students will get back (from the holiday break), that place will be packed, it will be live.

“We’re going to have to be ready to strap it on and play. Look at how many times they’ve beaten Kansas in that building, and that building has a lot to do with that.”

On whether Houston junior guard Emanuel Sharp reminds Sampson of anyone else when it comes to making tough shots

(Sharp was in double figures in each of the Cougars’ last two games, home wins against BYU and TCU, and made several tough jumpers while beating the shot clock.)

“Nobody comes to mind. It just reeks of somebody that’s made a living at taking hard shots. … He’s mastered the ability to find a window that’s open, and if he can get the window open, and he doesn’t need the window to be wide open because of his strength, but once he gets those windows open he has a lot of confidence in his shot.

“(Former Cougar) Armoni Brooks was good at that; he had 20 against Kentucky and they were up in his face. Armoni was longer and more athletic probably, or at least he had a more athletic body than Emanuel.

“Armoni and Emanuel, obviously, have been our two best tough-shot makers.”

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On the depth of his squad, and how that has helped make the Cougars’ practices more competitive

(It can also help raise the level of the squad especially now that they are in conference play.)

“That was one of the things that’s hurt us the last few years was our February and March practices. Like most coaches, our practices are cut down a lot once we get into conference play. You’re not practice practicing two hours any more; you may be working on slippage areas or you may be working on execution or going over the game plan on how you want to guard them or how you want to attack a team defensively. But last year with Terrance out, Ramon (Walker) was out for a while, Jo Jo (Joseph Tugler) was out, we just didn’t have the ability to go 5-on-5.

“One of the things that’s helped us this year is I can throw (graduate assistant coach and former Houston guard) Ryan Elvin in there on offense if we’re shorthanded and we’re working on our defense. Don’t think for a minute I’m going to put Ryan in there to work on defense. But he’s good to have as an offensive guy to go against our guys because he knows our stuff so well.

“Depth helps and I think it’s more important now because there’s no bye weeks, and you just pray for health; I’m sure every team in our league does it and if you can tell me how you keep guys healthy, I’m willing to listen; I haven’t figured that one out.”

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On a sickness bug that has spread throughout the team

(One of the players that’s had to deal with the bug is graduate guard L.J. Cryer.)

“L.J.’s had a really high temperature; I don’t think he’s been out of his room in two days. I think he’s going to try and do something in practice (Thursday) so he’s been out.

“(Sophomore guard Kordelius Jefferson) came back (Wednesday) and when you play on Monday, then you have the day off, it just seems like it’s such a short week, and it’s already Thursday. But we’ve got a couple of coaches with it. … It’s making it’s way through the program for sure.”