Super Scintillating Selections Top 30 Countdown: #2 Houston Cougars

Two. More. Teams. Day 29, here we go. As a reminder, from here on out I will not be giving a prediction for the featured team. For the predictions on the remaining teams you will have to listen to my podcast I will be releasing Tuesday 3/14. The podcast will include previews of highlighted matchups, predictions for the last seven teams, possible cinderellas, future content ideas I've been brewing in my head, and more.

30-2 is a pretty good regular season record I'd say, and 17-1 in the American Conference is also decent. The Cougars are without a doubt one of the, if not THE, most dominant college basketball teams in the country. I truly do not want to hear anyone speak of their weak conference schedule or anything along those lines. Those are tired and lazy takes. By my count Houston has beaten six NCAA Tournament teams, and only one of those games were even close. Do they play top tier teams in conference play? No. Do they take care of business in the games they are scheduled to play? 100% they do.

If you are on team “they are the new Gonzaga” please do me a favor and don’t fill out a bracket this year.

Lets Get it.

Why can Houston…go to Houston?

The Great Wall of Houston. You can’t get past this team, you can’t score on them, and you WILL get frustrated trying to do so. Kelvin Sampson will not play you if you can't defend, hell he won't even recruit you, and I LOVE it. They allow 56 points a game, are you kidding me? #1 in opponent points per game, #1 in average scoring margin, #1 in opponent shooting percentage Their opponent shoots 36% from the floor. Just to give you some perspective on that, a 36% scoring rate is LESS than Zack’s scoring rate on Maddie in the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. The Cougars lock you up and throw away the key.

Guard Play. Last year, Houston was missing two very important pieces due to injury in Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. They still went to the Elite Eight by the way, in a Kelvin Sampson masterclass of head coaching. Marcus Sasser is an All-American candidate, and a 2023 Naismith Trophy semifinalist this year. We call that a good addition to the team where I come from. Tramon Mark, Jamal Shead, and Emanuel Sharp are all solid contributors as well at the guard position.

What's holding them back?

Houston, we have a *Center* problem. Sorry, that's the best I could come up with there. Houston's downfall this March, if there is one, will be because they get owned in the paint and out rebounded by some of the trees that they will be facing if they make a run. Jarace Walker and J’Wan Roberts are terrific players, both averaging over 10 points and over 6 rebounds a game, but I think their lack of height compared to other teams will give them trouble. Obviously this team is skilled defensively, but let me give you an example of what I am talking about. In their one out of conference loss they gave up 44 rebounds, 12 of them were offensive rebounds by Alabama. Players like Zach Edey, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Adam Sanogo, Oumar Ballo and Oscar Tshiebwe could have a field day on the glass if Houston meets up with any of them.

The Cougar’s efficiency on offense, and skill on defense could definitely be enough to make up for their weakness. Can Kelvin Sampson lead this team to their second final four in three years? We shall see.

Next Game: Today vs Cincinnati