Scouting UH’s first round opponent: the Idaho Vandals

OKLAHOMA CITY – The 28-6 (#2 seed) Houston Cougars will face the 21-14 (#15 seed) Idaho Vandals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament here late Thursday night. The Coogs are the more athletic and talented team in the contest, but Idaho can stay in the game due to the sheer number of three-pointers they shoot.

The Vandals are led in scoring by the Big Sky freshman of the year, Jackson Rasmussen. He is very talented and can play inside or out, depending on the matchup. He is a very good player, but I doubt he’s ever seen a defense like Houston, and that can be tough in the bright lights. So I will be going with guard Isaiah Brickner as my head of the snake. He is a super-athletic scoring guard and a deadly shooter who excels at attacking the rim. Their point guard, Kolton Mitchell, is also someone to keep an eye on.

I think the Coogs are too big, too fast, too strong, and too talented in this one. Because of the Vandals’ ability to shoot the long ball, it could be closer than expected on paper. But the Coogs should cruise to the round of 32.

Idaho Offensive Notes

• The Vandals are ranked 35th nationally in three-point attempts per game and 34th in the nation in three-point makes. I asked Milos Uzan in the NCAA Tournament pre-practice press conference what he’s keeping an eye on from the Idaho guards. He said that they have several guards who can shoot the three and will have to run them off the three-point line. Uzan discussed that they have at least three guards who are playmakers off the bounce. He also mentioned the importance of holding them to only one shot attempt and keeping the defensive glass clean.
• Idaho does a nice job of taking care of the ball. They are ranked 91st nationally in turnovers per game. I do believe they will be shocked by the BLITZ in the first half.
• The Vandals do a very underrated thing on offense that I wish more teams would do. They like to drive the baseline, and when the help defense comes, they have a guy cut from the slot or wing down the middle of the lane, which often leads to open layups or dunks. Houston used to run that play with Jamal Shead driving baseline, and J’Wan Roberts would streak to the rim for the dunk.
• Idaho is ranked #310 out of 361 teams in fast-break points (7.49). They will want to crawl up the floor and run their half-court offense.
• The Vandals are ranked 278th in assists per game (12.5). Their guards tend to prefer going 1-on-1 and making plays for themselves rather than passing to shooters.

Vandals Defensive Notes

• Idaho plays man-to-man defense 92% of the time. They run major drop coverage on the pick-and-roll. Kingston and Milos should roast their pick-and-roll, especially when Rowbury is in the game. The Vandals don’t zone very much. When they do, they tend to run a 2-3 zone and a 1-1-3 zone, which to me is their most effective.
• The Vandals do a nice job of keeping the defensive glass clean. They are ranked 45th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (26.74). However, they have not seen anyone like Jojo or Chris.
• Idaho may have the least athletic post players that Houston has seen this year. They do NOT block many shots, as they are ranked #324 in blocked shots per game with 2.3. I’d expect Houston to attack the rim!

Idaho Personnel (*Indicates likely starters)

*#5 – Isaiah Brickner – 6’4″ – SR – Guard – (Marist College) – 12ppg, 4rpg.

• Head of the Snake;
• Starch Madness All-Tournament Team;
• Athletic shooting guard.
• Deadly outside shooter. Only needs an inch to get his shot off (46-109, 42%);
• Extremely athletic. Crashed the boards hard looking for put-back dunks;
• Loves to drive going right. Can finish with either hand in the paint.

*#12 – Jackson Rasmussen – 6’7″ – FR – Forward – 14ppg, 5rpg.

• Starch Madness All-Tournament Team;
• Tall stretch forward;
• Big Sky freshman of the year. If he were to transfer, he would be highly coveted.
• Really nice mid-range jumper. Nice face-up game in the mid-post;
• Can take it off the bounce to score in the paint when closely guarded.
• Solid finisher in the paint. Can finish over either shoulder.
• Capable of shooting from beyond the arc, but doesn’t shoot it often (35-106, 33%).

*#14 – Kolton Mitchell – 6’1″ – RS SO – Guard – (Idaho State) – 14ppg, 3rpg, 4apg, 1spg.

• Starch Madness All-Tournament Team;
• Smaller scoring point guard;
• Solid three-point shooter (70-195, 36%);
• He’s not overly fast or athletic, but does a nice job getting to the paint to score.
• Kind of shifty to get his get off-balanced to get to the paint.
• Potential leg-kicker on his three-point shot to draw a cheap foul.

*#3 – Biko Johnson – 6’2″ – SR – Guard – (Western Nebraska College, Nebraska-Omaha, Fort Lewis) – 12ppg, 4rpg, 3apg.

• World traveler! At his 4th college;
• Thin, combo-guard. He’s a shake-and-bake to get in the paint guy.
• Prefers to shoot off the bounce in the paint or with the dribble pull-up;
• Has a little flip shot/floater that he likes to use in the paint.
• He really likes to drive left and spin back to score in the paint.
• Not a great outside shooter (59-190, 31%). Leads the team in free-throw attempts (100-137, 73%).

*#0 – Brody Rowbury – 6’11” – SR – Forward – (Southeastern Louisiana) – 8ppg, 5rpg.

• BIG (but slow) post player;
• He can’t jump over a flat piece of paper…but he uses his body well to get in position to take up space in the paint.
• He doesn’t attempt many, but shoots a good percentage from three-point land when left unguarded (12-30, 40%);
• Not terrible in the pick-and-roll, but he’s extremely slow rolling.

#7 – Jack Payne – 6’6″ – RS JR – Guard – (Colorado State) – 7ppg, 4rpg.

• Strong/tall guard;
• Likes to back down smaller guards to score in the paint; Nice hook over his left shoulder;
• Excellent at cutting the basket when his defender isn’t watching.
• Capable outside shooter, but not a great percentage (42-132, 32%). He’s at his best when shooting from the corner.

#1 – Trevon Blassingame – 6’4″ – RS JR – Guard – (Fairleigh Dickinson) – 3ppg, 3rpg.

• Three-point specialist off the bench (25-65, 39%);
• Weird looking three-point shot (from his hip and across his body…but it goes in);
• Capable of getting to the rim, but a little loose with the ball. I think the active Coog hands could give him some problems;
• ALL right hand when trying to finish at the rim.

#21 – Seth Joba – 6’9″ – JR – Forward – (Vermont) – 5ppg, 4rpg.

• LEFTY!
• Tall forward off the bench;
• Solid outside shooter for a 6’9″ forward (33-90, 37%);
• Sneaky athletic; Has some “hops” around the rim;
• When he’s playing with his back to the basket, he’s looking to go with the left-handed, hook-shot over his right shoulder.

#24 – Miles Klapper – 6’3″ – RS SO – Guard – 4ppg, 2rpg.

• LEFTY!
• Back-up, three-level scorer off the bench;
• Doesn’t shoot many, but shoots a great three-point percentage (18-41, 44%);
• Can get to the basket and finish with either hand (best with his left);
• He has a nice mid-range jumper and step-back.

My Game Plan vs Idaho

1. Run them off the three-point line to a waiting JoJo Tugler. Idaho wants to make open three-pointers. I’d run at them hard and force them into the lane, where (for the most part) I don’t think they’re athletic enough to score over Tugler, Cenac, and Sakho.
2. REBOUND. The Coogs are 10x more athletic than the Vandals. They need to own the glass on both ends.
3. Get downhill. The Vandals play a very basic drop-coverage vs the pick-and-roll. I’d look to get Kingston in the paint 100 times and let him decide to score, drive, or kick out to an open shooter.
4. RUN in offensive transition. (No offense), I would love to see Houston push the ball in transition and try to get easy looks on offense.