Saturday will be UH’s first mirror game in Big 12 play (Teams play five mirror games, and UH’s are UT, Iowa St, Cincinnati, UCF, and Kansas). Four of the five mirror games are at home.
the daily #192 | 2/12/2024 | Archives
Texas has its weekday break this week as well. The Horns are hard to figure out – since the opening game on January 6, they’ve gone 1-1 every week. Their four home losses are the most in the Big 12, but their 3-2 road record is the best. Some of their road losses – to 4-6 UCF and 3-7 WVU – are puzzling, too.
J’Wan Roberts has shined in road games this season. Look at how his averages rise in the seven true road games vs. the other 16 games he’s played in (sat out game vs. Penn):
| Per Game | Home/Neutral | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 7.8 | 12.1 |
| Shooting | 57.6% | 54.3% |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 9.9 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 2.1 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 1.7 | 2.3 |
The most impressive stat is that In 16 home and neutral games, he has 34 offensive rebounds. In seven road games, he has 32.
UH is one of three teams undefeated at home in Big 12 play. Houston’s closest game was the ugly 15-point win over UCF when the Knights shot 17 more FTs than the Coogs. The other two undefeated home teams (Kansas and Iowa State) have each had to gut-out home wins.
Kansas got help from the officials in their opening-day win over TCU (two points) and beat Baylor by three on Saturday. Iowa State played a close game with UH, beat Kansas in a four-point game, and was in a two-point game with Kansas State with under three minutes to play before pulling away.
Free throws: UH has steadily improved at the line as the season has progressed, but it’s similar to what teams nationally have done.
| After | FT% | National Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks | 64.2 | 308 |
| 6 weeks | 65.6 | 306 |
| 8 weeks | 65.8 | 305 |
| 10 weeks | 66.9 | 293 |
| 12 weeks | 67.5 | 297 |
| 14 weeks | 68.1 | 295 |
Jamal Shead is playing about seven more minutes a game in Big 12 games than he did in OOC. The hope was to get him more rest, but that has not happened in league play. Part of that is how the offense has looked when he’s not in the game. Part of it is finding players to trust who can step in. Mylik Wilson has played over 21 minutes in both of the last two games and has proven capable.
