In the postgame show on ESPN2 Friday night, LJ Cryer mentioned that Houston is still upset about how the championship game ended last year. UH lost the title game to Iowa State in a blowout.

Saturday, the 29-4, two-time Big 12 champions, about to receive their third one-seed in a row, get a chance at something they rarely need:

Redemption.

To get it, they’ll need to beat a high-scoring Arizona program. The Wildcats (22-11) are rolling into the Big 12 Tournament championship game with tough wins over Kansas and Texas Tech. Arizona has averaged 87 ppg in their last seven games, although they’re just 4-3 in that span. Houston (29-4) will again be without senior leader and starting post-player J’Wan Roberts.

The Wildcats are led by 47th year senior Caleb Love (Head of the Snake), who is, somehow, eight days younger than Roberts. He is the definition of head of the snake – Arizona literally goes as he goes. If you can keep him under 10 points, you have a great chance to win, purely because of all of the shot attempts that he takes. He scored 27 Friday night on 10 of 15 shooting (including 5/8 from three).

I expect Arizona to go BIG often in this game. With Roberts out of the game, they will likely roll out Carter Bryant (6’8″), Henri Veesar (7’0″), and Tobe Awaka (6’8″) at the same time to try to attack the offensive glass. JoJo Tugler and Ja’Vier Francis will have to play clean defense and not get into foul trouble, or it could be a very long night for Houston.

That said, I love the Coogs in this one. They must defend like they did against BYU and keep the glass clean. I would look for Arizona to try to deny LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp from catching the ball and make every other Coog beat them. Coach Tommy Lloyd said a few years ago that you need to see the Houston defense twice a season to get used to it. Saturday evening, he has that opportunity.

Arizona Offense Notes

• The Wildcats like to run in transition offense. Houston must keep an eye on Tobe Awaka and the other big men on the rim run.
• Arizona does well passing and cutting hard to the basket. Houston must ensure they aren’t cutting in front of their face on give-and-go passes to the basket.
• They run a lot of isolations for their guys when they can create mismatches. Their guards and forwards can create for themselves in the paint.
• Zona has multiple guys who can consistently knock down the three-pointer. It will be crucial to identify anyone who is heating up from outside.
• The Wildcats run great BLOB (baseline out-of-bounds) plays. UH must keep their heads on a swivel.

Wildcats Defense Notes

• The Cats usually play half-court, man-to-man defense.
• They may try to run a 1-2-1-1 diamond full court press after a made free throw.
• Sometimes, Arizona is slow to get back on defense, and Milos Uzan needs to look to run in transition and create some easy offense.
• I’d try to get Dell’Orso switched onto Milos or Terrance Arceneaux and let them isolate him. He struggles against stopping the drive.
• Zona typically does not double-team the post.
• Sometimes, Arizona struggles to guard the pick and roll.

Arizona Personnel Report

*#1 – Caleb Love – 6’4″ – 5th SR – Guard – (UNC) – 17ppg, 4rpg, 3.5 apg.

• Head of the Snake – an All-American scoring guard;
• Has scored 1000 points at two different schools;
• 180 more shot attempts than the next person on their roster;
• Top notch three-level scorer;
• Plays tough defense when he wants to.

*#0 – Jaden Bradley – 6’3″ – JR – Guard – (Alabama) – 12ppg, 3rpg, 3.5apg, 2spg.

• Athletic/three-level scoring point guard;
• Elite defender;
• Struggling a bit from 3pt; Down 4% since the last time UH played them – 19/66 (28%);
• Good mid-range shooter;
• Crafty scorer in the paint.

*#30 – Tobe Awaka – 6’8″ – JR – Forward – (Tennessee) – 8ppg, 8rpg.

• Hard working/big-bodied forward. Would be a great Coog (I don’t say that often);
• Tough around the basket – he works to get deep position;
• Likes to “rim run” in transition offense.

*#4 – Trey Townsend – 6’6″ – 5th SR – Guard – (Oakland) – 9ppg, 4rpg.

• Tall/athletic guard;
• At his best when getting in the paint and from mid-range;
• Not a great outside shooter, but is shooting better than the last time we saw him – 14/44 (32%).

*#3 – Anthony Dell’Orso – 6’6″ – JR- Guard – (Campbell) – 7ppg, 1rpg, 41% 3pt.

• Tall/thin outside shooter;
• Outstanding three-point shooter – 44/108 (41%);
• Good shooter in the mid-range;
• Capable of getting to the rim (Back-doored the Coogs a couple of times).

#5 – KJ Lewis – 6’4″ – SO – Guard – 11ppg, 45rpg, 3apg.

• Athletic guard and their sixth man
• Best when driving downhill;
• Not a good three-point shooter. His injured wrist has affected his outside shooting percentage – 11/62 (17%). FORCE him to settle for outside jumpers;
• Solid at shooting the pull-up jumper;
• Still leads the team in turnovers (70) – UH will blitz him.

#9 – Carter Bryant – 6’8″ – FR – Forward – 6ppg, 4rpg.

• Big/athletic freshman forward. He looks like a prototype NBA forward;
• Started the last two games (Townsend has been out with a concussion);
• Good three-point shooter – 32/89 (36%);
• Solid at driving to the basket;
• MONSTER and BLITZ could give him some issues. He panics sometimes.

#13 – Henri Veesaar – 7’0″ – RS SO – Forward – (Real Madrid) – 10ppg, 5rpg, 1bpg.

• Super lengthy forward who brings GREAT energy off the bench;
• Aggressive rebounder on both ends;
• Good shot blocker and affects all shots in the paint;
• Nice touch around the rim;
• Solid three-point shooter, especially at 7’0″ tall – 16/46 (35%);
• Not great hands – he sometimes loses the ball and struggles to catch it clean.

Keys to Victory

1. Keep them off the boards. Arizona is athletic, huge, and physical. The Coogs must rebound as a team to keep them off the glass – it will take a group effort.
2. Make them play slow. The Wildcats want to run with their super-athletic guards. They can all get downhill quickly. Communication at a high level will be vital to slow them down in transition.
3. Keep Caleb Love in check. He’s a baller. When he’s good, Arizona is GREAT. When he struggles, they tend to struggle as a team.
4. Get the ball in the paint. The Coogs are a much better offensive team when the ball touches the paint. It opens up so many outside shooting opportunities. Eman needs to shoot 10 free-throws in this game.
5. Toughest team wins. Yeah Texas Tech stole my motto. This will be a grueling street fight and I expect Arizona to throw the kitchen sink at Houston. The Coogs will need guys like JoJo and Mylik to block the kitchen sink (and the basketball) and show who the biggest bully in the Big 12 is. Now let’s go cut down some more nets!