Coming off of an exhausting win at home against KSU Tech will travel to Houston to play the #5 Cougars and begin a really tough stretch of games. I'm not going to say this is the most important game of the season so far (it isn't) but it is the most difficult. Houston's introduction to the B12 has seen them jump headfirst into matchups with 2 of the most physical teams in the league (ISU and TCU) and come up short in both contests. For Tech they will be facing their best/1st legit ranked opponent of the year so far. I don't think this matchup is unwinnable for Tech but Houston's strength's do line up with a lot of Tech's weaknesses. Tech will need to have their best game of the season so far.
Houston by the Numbers:
Players to Know:
Keys to the game:
Houston by the Numbers:
- 1st in the country per Kenpom
- 18th on offense
- 1st on defense
- 1st in the country per Haslametrics
- 39th on offense
- 1st on defense
- Projected to win 71-58
- 1st in the country per Torvik
- 25th in the country on offense
- 1st on defense
- Projected to win 70-56
- 1st in the country defensively in TO%
- 4th in the country in OR%
- 1st in the country in block % - 20%
- 306th in the country in FT shooting % - 66.9%
- 319th in FTR allowed - 40.4
- Allow a decent amount of threes (211th in 3PAR) but only allow 30% shooting from 3 (23rd in the country) - more on that later
- Mediocre 3 point shooting team - 35.32%
Players to Know:
- Jamal Shead - In my opinion Shead is both Houston's best and most important player. His stat line belies his true value on both ends of the court. Offensively he runs the show and is one of the best pure points in the country. Houston will put him in a ton of ball screens to get Shead going downhill where he is at his best penetrating, and able to kick to shooters or dump off to a big. Shead is a very physical finisher and good passer. As a shooter he is just ok, shooting 33% from deep on 3 attempts a game. Defensively is where Shead makes his presence felt the most. IMO he is the best on ball defender in the country and one of the more impactful perimeter defenders in general. He is both an extremely good POA defender and an excellent ball-hawk. Averaging 10.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.3 spg, and .8 bpg.
- LJ Cryer - Transfer from Baylor and former All B12 team member. Is probably Houston's best offensive player and pure scorer. Has seen his role shift to more of an on-ball role than he had at Baylor and has seen his efficiency numbers go down as his usage and shot difficulty increased. Houston will put him in ball screens like Shead, but he is looking to get to his jumper most of the time. Has some shake to his game but is best as a jump-shooter. Deadly behind the arc and can get very hot but is also streaky and has had some down games lately. Can struggle with physical defense but cannot be left at all. Cryer is an average team defender and can be had one on one. Averaging 15.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.9 apg. 6'1 190.
- Emanuel Sharp - Physical combo guard who has exploded this season. Was a part of the rotation as a freshman but is now a starter and Houston's second leading scorer. Offensively he is mostly a jump shooter where he shoots 6 threes a game at just under 37%. He doesn't need much space and will knock shots down with a hand in his face. Also good in transition and will get to the FT line 4ish times a game where he shoots 84%. Physical defender who averages 1.6 steals a game. His build and length allow him to defend multiple positions. Averaging 13.4 ppg 3.7 rpg and .9 apg. 6'3 205.
- Damian Dunn - Another physical guard who is Houston's 6th man. Dunn had a very tough time adjusting to Houston's system and a rough start shooting the ball but has seen an uptick in that regard lately. Offensively he has an old man game. A ton of his looks will come in the mid and low post where Houston will run actions to get him to his spots. He will see run in some ball screens but most of his looks will come off of post ups and in the mid-range. Loves to pump fake and use his size to bully guards. Not much of a deep threat. Defensively he is solid and uses his size well but isn't overly quick. Averaging 8.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .9 spg. 6'5 205.
- J'Wan Roberts/Ja'Vier Francis / JoJo Tugler - I swear Sampson just rolls these guys off of an assembly line. Every year UH seems to have 2-3 physical posts who just pound the glass like crazy. Including these players as a trio because their roles are so similar. All of them are of similar sizes and all of them hit the glass, play good defense and just provide a physical presence. Roberts (6'7 235) is probably the best offensive player of the trio. He is a lefty who has a nice jump hook over his right shoulder and is a physical screener. Also, a very good interior passer. Averaging 8.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.1 bpg. Francis (6'8 240) is a tremendous defender with the range to guard on the perimeter and is the best shot blocker on the team (7'5 wingspan). Offensively he gets most of his buckets off of put backs and lobs. Averaging 6.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg. Tugler is one of the youngest players playing rotation minutes as a true freshman. He's very raw but is very active on both ends of the floor. He is the energy/trash guy off the bench. Good shot blocker but is foul prone (3.3 FPG in 16.3 MPG). Averaging 4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 spg and 1.2 bpg. All 3 of these players are below average FT shooters and do not stretch the floor.
Keys to the game:
- Battle on the glass - Houston blitzes the glass so Tech cannot get doubled up on offensive rebounds. Tech doesn't have to win the rebounding battle but they do have to keep it close.
- Keep TO's down - Houston's defense is one of the best at turning team's over and their offense functions best off of said chaos. Keeping turnovers low is key as UH will aggressively attack every ball screen and post touch.
- Winning at the FT line - Houston tends to foul more than most teams and is a below average FT shooting team. A trend their last two losses is putting teams at the line 20+ times. Tech needs to hit that number.
- Clean looks - Houston allows quite a few 3PA's but they close out maniacally. They want teams to take contested threes. Tech will need to keep the spacing clean on offense and get good looks. Keep the ball moving.
- Limit Cryer and Sharp/Guard play - Houston tends to struggle on offense when Cryer is not scoring effectively. Tech also needs Pop and Joe to shoot it more efficiently than at K State.
