With a Big Win Against the Texas Techs, Does the Houston Cougars Has What It Takes To Lift the Big 12?

Houston gets their campaign back on track with a comfortable 77-54 victory over Texas Tech. The Cougars had a minor bump in their journey following their 2 close defeats against Iowa and TCU. Nonetheless, they quickly recognized their gray areas and subsequently worked efficiently on them to get the desired result against the Red Raiders.

Seemingly, their unique style of play that involves grabbing offensive rebounds and forcing steals has turned quite a few heads this season. However, it will be interesting to see how far they can get sticking to this formula in the toughest Conference of the NCAA. 

What makes Houston a Big 12 favorite?

There are mixed reviews when it comes to evaluating how good Houston really is. On one hand, it is one of the best defensive line-ups in the country now. Evidently, they have won 10 games by a margin of 20 points or more. In addition to this, they are grabbing 40.2 rebounds per contest which hands them a respectable 46th rank. On the other, they have yet to figure out how they want to be offensively. Currently, they are scoring at an average of 74.9 points per game which puts them in the 192nd position overall. Moreover, they stand way back at 190th place in terms of distributing assists with a combined effort of just 13.8.

However, their defense toughness and just enough shot-making ability seem to be working for them. In all the 17 games they have played so far, they have secured 15 quality wins. As a team, they have tried to keep things simple and not overcompensate anything. But, it will be interesting to see how lasting their formula will be in their upcoming games against the likes of Kansas State and the Longhorns.

The current lot of players that they have on their roster have been impactful for them this season.

Houston’s power performers

The Cougars pack a punch when it comes to their defense. No.13 J’wan Roberts has spearheaded their numbers as he collected 116 rebounds at an average of 7.2 per game in the 397 minutes he spent on the court. Out of these, 72 have been defensive whereas the remaining 44 fall into the offensive category. Senior guard Jamal Shead is their leader in snatching steals with his 38 at an average of 2.2 per game. In the meantime, forward Ja’Vier Francis is a handful blocking 27 shots at the rate of 1.6 in his every outing.

Simultaneously, much of their offensive play rests on the shoulders of their 6 ft 1 in point guard L.J. Cryer. The 22-year-old has piled up 258 points in the 17 games he’s been a part of maintaining a healthy average of 15.2 points per game. In addition to this, he is also the team’s best 3-point shooter at present jacking it with a 38.5% accuracy. At the same time, Jamal Shead has his say in the team’s offense as well. So far he has collected 105 assists to his name at a decent rate of 6.2 per game.

What have been the contributions of head coach Kelvin Sampson?

The 68-year-old veteran coach has been the driving force behind the team’s impeccable defense. Houston’s athletic program is slowly realizing its full potential under his expertise. Kelvin has left no stone unturned to take this Cougar’s squad to the next level defensively. So far in the tournament, they have limited a team to under 50 points on five occasions. Furthermore, the average points they are conceding per contest is 51.5 which is among the best in the nation.

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Similarly, when it comes to field goal percentage defense, Sampson has mentored Jamal Shead and Co. to be the leaders as they are currently holding their opponents at 34.8 percent shooting. Another noteworthy impact that Sampson seems to have is working on the team’s ability to disrupt an offense. Apparently, he has been drilling Shead, Cryer, and Sharp, to cause nightmares to the opposition by forcing turnovers and seizing some improbable steals every time they step onto the court.

What’s next for the Cougars?

Houston has their hands full for the next few days with some challenging matchups lined up for them. The Cougars will host TCU, UCF,  Kansas State and the Jayhawks in their backyard next. While they will enter the contest as favorites against the Horned Frogs and the Knights, they will have their task cut against both the tough franchises from Kansas. Furthermore, they will also be traveling to Utah, Texas and Oklahoma State to take on the remainder of the games till the first week of February. Here they are expected to get a tough fight from all these formidable line-ups.

There is no denying that the Cougars are one of the powerhouses in the Big 12. Their recent revival is a clear warning for the rest of the Big 12 participants that they can cause havoc on any given day. Clearly, Kelvin Sampson has turned this team into one of the worthy contenders for the championships.

Do you think Houston has what it takes to lift the Big 12 title? Let us know in the comments section.

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