The Houston basketball Cougars are trying to find a new way to succeed this season, relying on a number of freshmen to help them maintain Big 12 supremacy. Breaking away from tradition obviously has its risks, but Kelvin Sampson trusts his underclassmen to buy into the doggedness and physicality that has come to define his program over the years. The best way for them to contribute meaningful minutes in March is to gain valuable experience now. Obviously, that is hard to do when injured.

Chase McCarty suffered a left wrist injury in the first half of Wednesday's 79-70 road win versus TCU. The redshirt freshman has played sparingly this season and is struggling from the field, but Sampson values the intensity he brings off the bench. Fortunately, it appears he avoided calamity.

“I'm moving around well, I was able to shoot a couple of free throws,” McCarty told reporters in the team's practice facility on Thursday, per PaperCity Magazine's Chris Baldwin. “I'm feeling pretty good, I'm optimistic. I don't think it's {a break}, no fracture, nothing like that.”

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The 6-foot-5 talent out of Madison, Alabama is waiting for the results of his X-rays, but he is in fairly high spirits considering the setback. McCarty says he felt two pops in his wrist while banking in a 3-pointer versus the Horned Frogs. It was his only bucket and shot attempt of the game.

Chase McCarty is averaging 3.4 points on 32.8 percent shooting with 2.2 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per contest. Before his one-minute outing in Fort Worth, he was showing signs of growth. The 19-year-old was 2-of-3 from distance in a narrow loss to Texas Tech.

Houston basketball will monitor his status, but it does not look like McCarty will have to miss much time, if any. The Cougars (18-2) welcome in the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-10) on Saturday afternoon.