The guys at GoCoogs.com asked me to break down the Cougars and try to find ways to beat them.

Houston Personnel

*Indicates Probable Starters (But also….definitely their starters)

*#1 Jamal Shead 6’1″ Sr. – 13ppg, 4rpg, 6apg, 2spg

Head of the snake; Best LEADER in the country;
Big 12 Player of the Year. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. 1st Team All-Big 12;
Outstanding three-level scoring point guard;
Great at changing the height and speed of his dribble to get to the rim;
Really good floater in the paint;
Outstanding dribble pull-up shooter from mid-range;
Solid three-point shooter;
Gets the ball where it needs to be at all times;
Can lock down any point or shooting guard in the nation defensively;
#13 nationally in steals with 71; 14th in steals per game (2.29);
14th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.16); 16th in assists with 193 and in apg (6.2):

*#4 LJ Cryer 6’1″ Sr. – 16ppg, 2rpg, 2apg (Baylor)

*#21 Emanuel Sharp 6’3″ RS So.- 12ppg, 4rpg, 2spg

*#13 J’Wan Roberts 6’7″ RS Sr. – 10ppg, 7rpg, 2apg, 1bpg

3rd Team All-Big 12;
LEFTY!
Athletic forward; Unbelievable amount of heart and toughness;
Gets his energy from rebounding;
Best when able to get the ball in his left hand, crab dribble, and finish over his right shoulder with a left-handed hook shot;
Much improved on post moves, finishing with his right hand (before injury);
Not going to shoot outside of the paint;
Really good in the pick and roll;
Elite post defender;
Great passer when double-teamed:

*#5 Ja’Vier Francis 6’8″ Jr. – 6ppg, 5rpg, 2bpg

Undersized/Athletic center. He and Hason Ward (Iowa State) are similar athletes;
Makes up for height with extremely long wing span;
Tons of raw talent; Did not play a lot of basketball growing up;
Elite shot blocker and shot alterer;
Gaining confidence; You can see it in spurts;
Great at rebounding on both ends. Outstanding getting tips on the offensive glass. Those will soon turn into rebounds;
Capable scorer in the post. Likes the short hook shot (make him go to left-hand):

#11 Damian Dunn 6’5″ Gr. – 6ppg, 2rpg, 1spg (Temple)

Solid scoring guard off the bench;
Looks to bring instant offense when he enters the game;
Loves to shoot off the bounce; Watch out for his shot fake! If you jump, he will get into your body and draw the shooting foul;
Really good outside shooter:

#8 Mylik Wilson 6’2″ RS Sr. – 4ppg, 3rpg, 1apg, 1spg (Texas Tech)

#2 Cedric Lath 6’9″ RS Fr. – 1rpg

Very raw/BIG BODY post player;
Forced into action after several injuries to post players;
Is getting better every time he steps on the court;
Not much of an offensive threat at this point in his career; he will improve over time.
Solid on the defensive end; effects shots and does a good job rebounding;
A pest to opponents!; Gets on guys nerves. Horton from UT wanted to fight him after the game. Payne from UCF kept slapping his hands, as he was holding him and pulling his jersey. He had Hunter Dickinson for Kansas SHOOK! (Side note: I LOVE IT!!!!):

#20- Ryan Elvin- 6’1″- Sr.- 1ppg.

#3 Ramon Walker Jr. 6’4″ Jr. – 2ppg, 3rpg

Out for the season with a torn meniscus;
Glue guy; Definition of a Kelvin Sampson “Culture” player;
Can guard anyone on the court 1-5;
First guy to dive for a loose ball, take a charge (anything that the average player does not want to do);
Capable three-point shooter.

#25 Joseph “JoJo” Tugler 6’7″ Fr. – 4ppg, 4rpg, 1spg, 1bpg.

Out for the season with a broken foot;
All-Big 12 Freshman Team;
Long post player with an EXTREMELY long wing-span;
Unbelievable rebounder on both ends of the court;
Outstanding shot blocker and affects tons of shots with his wing span;
Improving on the offensive end; Capable of scoring in the paint with a hook shot with either hand, a floater in the paint, or a rim-rocking dunk;

#23- Terrance Arceneaux 6’5″ So. – 6ppg, 5rpg, 1apg, 1spg, 1bpg.

#12 Jacob McFarland 6’10” Fr. – Redshirting/No Stats

#15- Kordelius Jefferson 6’1″ Fr. – Redshirting/No Stats

Keys to Victory

Don’t get killed on the boards. To have a chance vs Houston, you must keep the defensive glass clean. If you allow them to get 15+ offensive rebounds, you will lose.
Limit turnovers. This Cougar team is one of the best teams in the nation at creating turnovers and scoring off of them. You need to have under 10 turnovers to have a chance.
Keep them out of the paint. UH is at their best when they get paint touches from their driving guards or feeding J’Wan Roberts in the post. You must keep them out of there and force them to make side-to-side passes for contested jumpers.
Move the ball quickly vs. their traps. Don’t panic! The only teams that have succeeded against Houston this year made quick, smart decisions with the ball. If you waste any time, they will have recovered on defense, leading to deflections and steals.
Get the ball out of Shead’s hands. He makes Houston go. He’s the ultimate head of the snake. I would double-team or run-and-jump press to ensure he’s not the guy bringing the ball up the court. He gets the ball where it needs to be at all times. I’m getting the ball out of his hands at all costs.