Without knowing UH’s opponent in their first game of the Big 12 Tournament, GoCoogs.com asked me to self-scout the Houston Cougars. While studying the Coogs, I watched their home games vs Iowa State and Kansas.

As you might have heard, the Cougars are the #1 ranked team in the nation. They finished the regular season with an incredible 28-3 record, went undefeated at home, 6-3 on the road in the Big 12, and are the Big 12 champions. They are the toughest team in the country, relentless on defense and on the boards, and have very talented guys who can score in multiple ways.

UH “Head of the Snake” and Back Court

UH is led by First-Team All-American and “Head of the Snake” Jamal Shead. Shead does it all.

He is lethal when his team needs a bucket and always gets the ball to the hot hand. Jamal is a legit three-level scorer and the most elite defender in the country. For two years, Shead has known it would be his job to shut down another team’s best guard, and he’s done it with devastating effect.

This clip is all you need to know about Jamal Shead and the identity of Houston basketball:

LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp are the Coogs’ outside snipers. Both guys are capable of making multiple threes every game. In the last month, they’ve combined to average over six threes a game (43 in seven games). Each is solid off the bounce and makes shots in or near the paint.

Mylik Wilson and Damian Dunn are solid options coming off the bench. Mylik is an outstanding defender with a really nice mid-range game. He is the most athletic guy on the team, electric in transition, and has made some above-the-rim highlights on the fast break.

Damian Dunn looks to bring instant offense off the bench. He is a solid mid-range and outside shooter. He has an elite shot fake and the ability to draw shooting fouls. Sometimes, according to Kelvin Sampson, he depends too much on it.

UH Front Court

Senior J’Wan Roberts leads the front court. He has the heart of a lion and is an outstanding athlete on both ends of the court. He is the culture warrior on this team. J’Wan is a left-handed forward with an elite left-handed hook shot in the paint. If he gets double-teamed, he immediately gets the ball to the open option. In Big 12 games, he’s second on the team with 2.0 assists per game.
He is a great shot blocker and rebounder on both ends. J’Wan knows his value is in rebounding and blocking shots.

Ja’Vier Francis and Cedric Lath round out the current front court for the Coogs. Francis is an elite rim protector and rebounder on both ends. Lath is a raw talent, but he improves every time he steps on the court.

He brings toughness and affects shots in the paint against opposing big men. Both guys are still new to basketball and improving on a daily basis. They’re both going to be massive parts of the Cougars’ future. Lath was considered a project, but due to injuries, he’s getting a lot more experience this season. He played 18 minutes against Kansas in the final regular-season game.

Injured Players

UH has lost three players to season-ending injuries – each would be playing a major role on this team in March. When they were injured, Terrance Arceneaux, Ramon Walker Jr., and Jojo Tugler were heavy rotation players and had each started playing at their highest level when their seasons ended.

Houston Offense

Houston is led on offense by their guards. LJ Cryer is the leading scorer with 15.7 points per game. He is an elite three-point shooter that can also score off the bounce. Jamal Shead (13.2ppg) and Emanuel Sharp (12.3ppg) are three-level scorers who can lead the team in scoring on any given night. J’Wan Roberts (9.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is a load down low for the Coogs, and they like to play through him early in the game to see how the defense will guard the post.

• 4th nationally in turnovers (8.7 per game)
• 9th in offensive rebounds per game (14.0);
• 30th in assist:turnover ratio (1.51);

The Coogs run a lot of 4-out sets and like to use the “ghost screen” to get their guards downhill and look to score in the paint or kick to open shooters:

They are a great pick-and-roll team:

Houston is a phenomenal offensive rebounding team, giving them extra opportunities on offense. If they can’t grab the offensive rebound, they try to tip or slap the ball out to a guard:

Houston runs excellent “BLOB” (Baseline out of bounds) and “ATO” (After Time Out) plays. Kelvin Sampson takes pride in these plays, and the team works on them often:

Houston Defense

• #1 nationally in scoring defense (56.9 ppg);
• #1 in turnover margin (+7.4);
• #2 in field goal defense, holding teams to 38.3%;
• #2 in scoring margin, 17 more points per game more than opponents;
• #7 in steals per game (10.3);
• #12 in turnovers forced (16.1 per game);
• #17 3-point percentage defense (30.2%);

UH primarily plays halfcourt M2M defense; They rarely play zone or full-court press, although Sampson is open to playing it more in the coming weeks. Sampson wants to trap (blitz in UH terminology) all pick and rolls in front of the time-line just past half court. They then try to take away the closest passes for the guy that is getting trapped. The only way to succeed against this is to move the ball quickly and try to get an open shot while the defense is recovering.

The Coogs double-team (monster trap) all catches in the post. Although the Coogs don’t have any current players over 6’9″, they have extremely long wingspans, which causes issues for anyone catching the ball in the post. They do a phenomenal job of taking away the closest passes, and often, the cross-court pass either flies out of bounds or is intercepted for transition offense going the other way.