Scouting UH Hoops heading into Big 12 play

The Houston Cougars leave Friday for Cincinnati to open Big 12 play. There have been many highs this season, such as the road win in a “neutral” game against Auburn, as well as the smackdown in Newark against Coach John Calipari and his Razorbacks. But there have also been some areas of concern. Let’s take a look at the Coogs ‘ strengths, problem areas, and upcoming Big 12 play.

UH Strengths

• The Coaching Staff: UH has a phenomenal coaching staff led by future hall-of-famer Kelvin Sampson. Except for first-year assistant Mike Ekanem, Coach Sampson’s assistants have been with him for years. This is an A++ staff that always has its team prepared.
• Core Experience: The Coogs have four guys with tons of big game experience: Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, JoJo Tugler, and Ramon Walker Jr. have seen it all. But even they would all admit that they have struggled at times throughout the season. Regardless, with the game on the line, it would be difficult to find a better core of experienced, winning, student-athletes in the entire college basketball world.
• Depth: Houston can LEGITIMATELY play 11 guys in their rotation, although there’s no indication they will do so during Big 12 play. There will be times when anyone 1-11 could be called on to perform in a big moment. Everyone has their defined role and will be asked to excel at some point soon.
• Kingston Flemings: Coming into the season, I knew Kingston was mature, ultra-athletic, smart, and a true point guard. When I went to his high school games, he obviously stood out, but there were times when I thought he was a bit passive.
  
  I wasn’t sure he could develop his outside shot this early, but he figured it out before I put up my Christmas tree. He’s the complete package. He’s developing into a superstar at UH. When his mentality evolves to the point where he can consistently get his feet in the paint, looking to score at the rim or distribute to an open teammate, he will be unstoppable. I expect Coach Sampson to give him the ball and tell him to make plays in Big 12 games.
• Different Playing Styles: For the first time since I have been around, the Coogs can play at a faster tempo. They have shown they can win big games in the low 70s or in the 90s. In the past, if the opponent was in the high 80s or 90s, I feared it would be a loss for the Coogs, as they relied so much on their lock-down defense. Now, we know they can beat ultra-talented teams in that higher range, as they did against Arkansas.

Problem Areas

• Defensive Connectivity: The Coogs are still not connected yet defensively. I thought they had it figured out vs Arkansas, but slipped a bit in the MTSU game. They are often indecisive when blitzing ball screens, which leads to open three-pointers or backdoor layups. They have often been slow on their monster double-teams in the post, which allows open shots. To run an effective Kelvin Sampson defense, you can’t have that split second of indecisiveness; you must GO and GO HARD.
  
  Coach Sampson mentioned on his first radio show of the year that it is not an easy defense to learn and will take time for the young guys to adjust. I always told my teams (and I’m sure that he does too) that flying around and trusting your teammates on defense will make up for the technical mistakes.
• Lack of Road Experience for the New Guys: Things are about to get real, real fast. Cincinnati has a super-talented team that hasn’t gelled yet. When they figure it out, they are going to be really tough. That could happen Saturday in a rowdy environment. Kingston, Cenac, Harwell, Kalifa, Chase, and even Mercy to a degree have never played meaningful minutes in the road atmospheres they’re about to see. They will need to lean on Emanuel, Milos, Jojo, and Ramon when times get tough.
• Toughness: Coach Sampson called his guys out for not being tough enough against MTSU. There are times when they have been the toughest team and guys like Ramon and Chase have taken big-time charges. There have been plenty of loose balls that the Coogs have been the first on the floor to get. But it just has not been as consistent as in years past.
  
  UH is playing a ton of new guys who are still learning and making adjustments. It’s the program’s identity. If someone isn’t playing tough, Coach Sampson won’t hesitate to yank him out of the lineup, but my guess is they’ve gotten the message this week.

Conference Outlook

I admittedly believe I was wrong on the Big 12 this year. I thought a few of the top teams may take a step back this year, but the league is probably stronger than ever. I think that every team in the conference is more talented than it was a year ago. It would not shock me whatsoever if a top team lost on the road to Colorado, Arizona State, TCU, UCF, etc.

My Updated Top 8: “Big 12 Predictions” (but who knows, right?)

1. Houston – “To be the man, you have to beat the man” – Ric Flair
2. Arizona – Super talented. Can Koa lead them to the top?
3. BYU – UNBELIEVABLE talent. Will they defend? Can their coach be humble? Is that Waffle House menu-sized playsheet glued to his hand? People have questions!



4. Iowa State – Tight shirt on the sideline. Tough trio with Lipsey, Jefferson, and Momcilovic.
5. Texas Tech – Great duo with Toppin and Anderson. Will they have the depth to win the league?
6. Kansas – Will Darryn Peterson return? They’re not bad without him. They’re great with him.
7. Baylor – The former NBA Draft Pick mid-season add-on makes them competitive now. Ew.
8. Cincinnati – It’s now or never for Wes Miller. He has a great roster “on paper.” It’s now on him to make them gel and compete.

The Big 12 now has professional basketball players at Baylor and BYU. Top freshmen galore from the Houston trio, Darryn Peterson from Kansas (and his cramps), Arizona’s Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou, and many more across the league. Some of the all-time great coaches in college hoops history. Young coaches on the rise. Historically rowdy arenas and fans. Fran Fraschilla and Boog Sciambi are on the call. Doug Sirmons, Tony Padilla, Kipp Kissinger, and friends on the whistle. Toughest team wins. Obnoxious burner accounts. And SO MUCH MORE!!

BIG 12 PLAY STARTS NOW!!!