UH destroyed BYU by 31 points Saturday in the Big 12 home opener. It’s like the lights have come on: That was the best performance from the team so far – exactly what fans envisioned in the offseason. The Coogs started punching BYU in the mouth on their first possession and never let up.
It was beautiful to watch.
UH’s trademark suffocating defense kicked into gear and was fully displayed against BYU. The blue Cougs looked completely lost and scared of their own shadow to open the game. They committed four turnovers in their first six possessions, and when they weren’t turning the ball over, they were getting their shots thrown right back at them. UH had seven blocked shots, nine steals, and held BYU to 37.5% from the floor.
After the Oklahoma State win, Kelvin Sampson said that Emanuel Sharp and Terrance Arceneaux were “in the witness protection program.” I assume they heard much of the same all week in practice. How did they respond? They scored 18 and 15 points on a combined 8 for 13 from the 3-point line (they combined for two points in Stillwater).
One thing that has stood out in these first two Big 12 games is that different players are stepping up and picking up the slack where needed. Monday night, J’Wan Roberts went off for 20 points and 11 rebounds, and L.J. kicked in 18 and Milos 12. Last night, Sharp, Arceneaux, and Mylik Wilson were leading the scorers. Two different games, two different challenges, and several different guys making an impact. Oklahoma State wanted to take out UH’s shooters, leaving J’Wan in ideal one-on-ones in the post and he feasted. BYU played a lot of zone and sagged deep in man, and UH shot them out of the building.
It is exciting to watch UH’s depth and versatility start to show. With a schedule in December where it was hard to get in the flow, they’ve found a rhythm early in Big 12 play. They have shown that they can thrive scoring in the paint and, when left open, can shoot the lights out of the arena.
There are still 18 games left, but this is starting to look like something UH hasn’t had much of in the past. Versatility and depth make this team dangerous.
As fun as these two games have been, there’s room for a lot of improvement. Ja’Vier Francis has seemingly recovered from his pre-season injury and had his best game of the year. JoJo Tugler is one of the best defenders in the country, but his offensive game hasn’t quite arrived. When those two are going at the same time, this squad will be deadly. Combining that with what the Cougars already have, there is nothing this team can’t achieve.
