Houston 1/3 2:00 FOX
Okay, the disappointing OOC-portion of the schedule is behind us. There's nothing like jumping right into the fire in B12 game #1.
However, this Cougars squad is a bit different from recent Kelvin Sampson teams, in that he is relying on two key freshmen, Chris Cenac (McDonald's AA center) and Kingston Flemings (Top 25 player who probably was the biggest snub from that AA squad).
Flemings is a guard who can really score, having led the Cougars in points in six of their 13 games. He is paired with Emmanuel Sharp, a deadly shooter who has led the team in six others. Their third backcourt starter is Milos Uzan, who's no slouch in his own right, with an ability to take his defender into the paint (not shooting well outside, though, at 26.3%). Those three guards combine for 43.4 ppg, led by Sharp's 17.0. Sharp and Flemings top the Cougars in FT attempts (47 & 41) and make the vast majority of them (85.1% & 80.5%). Uzan is right behind at 78.6%. As a team, Houston are very good FT shooters (76.2%). However, they do not get to the line a ton (#346 nationally in FT rate, compared to UC's mediocre #208).
Working with Cenac inside is Jo Jo Tugler, who is a beast of a defender and offensive rebounder. As a team, the Cougars are #22 (barttorvik.com) in offensive rebounding. That should be an interesting matchup, as the Bearcats are #4 in defensive rebounding.
As usual, Kelvin Sampson's squad pressures the ball in the half-court, jumping the ballhandler with strong double-teams whenever the opponent attempts a ball screen. Their harassment is such that the ballhandlers often cannot feed the picker who rolls to the basket. Houston turns bad passes into points. They are elite at forcing turnovers (#6 per barttorvik.com). The Cougars play at a slow tempo with the ball, probing to get a good shot, then grabbing the offensive rebound. They strangle the opponent on defense, forcing them out of their offense, and will run on live-ball turnovers and forced shots that lead to the other team scrambling to get back in transition.
Essentially, the Cats must continue their recent reduction in poor passing that plagued the team early in the season. Over the past three games, UC have turned it over 7, 12, and 8 times (quite acceptable). If they can keep their heads and duplicate that, they can hang with Houston. Oh, of course it would behoove them to hit some shots, including FT's. The Cougars do foul at the defensive end, largely as a result of their aggressiveness.
However, this Cougars squad is a bit different from recent Kelvin Sampson teams, in that he is relying on two key freshmen, Chris Cenac (McDonald's AA center) and Kingston Flemings (Top 25 player who probably was the biggest snub from that AA squad).
Flemings is a guard who can really score, having led the Cougars in points in six of their 13 games. He is paired with Emmanuel Sharp, a deadly shooter who has led the team in six others. Their third backcourt starter is Milos Uzan, who's no slouch in his own right, with an ability to take his defender into the paint (not shooting well outside, though, at 26.3%). Those three guards combine for 43.4 ppg, led by Sharp's 17.0. Sharp and Flemings top the Cougars in FT attempts (47 & 41) and make the vast majority of them (85.1% & 80.5%). Uzan is right behind at 78.6%. As a team, Houston are very good FT shooters (76.2%). However, they do not get to the line a ton (#346 nationally in FT rate, compared to UC's mediocre #208).
Working with Cenac inside is Jo Jo Tugler, who is a beast of a defender and offensive rebounder. As a team, the Cougars are #22 (barttorvik.com) in offensive rebounding. That should be an interesting matchup, as the Bearcats are #4 in defensive rebounding.
As usual, Kelvin Sampson's squad pressures the ball in the half-court, jumping the ballhandler with strong double-teams whenever the opponent attempts a ball screen. Their harassment is such that the ballhandlers often cannot feed the picker who rolls to the basket. Houston turns bad passes into points. They are elite at forcing turnovers (#6 per barttorvik.com). The Cougars play at a slow tempo with the ball, probing to get a good shot, then grabbing the offensive rebound. They strangle the opponent on defense, forcing them out of their offense, and will run on live-ball turnovers and forced shots that lead to the other team scrambling to get back in transition.
Essentially, the Cats must continue their recent reduction in poor passing that plagued the team early in the season. Over the past three games, UC have turned it over 7, 12, and 8 times (quite acceptable). If they can keep their heads and duplicate that, they can hang with Houston. Oh, of course it would behoove them to hit some shots, including FT's. The Cougars do foul at the defensive end, largely as a result of their aggressiveness.