No. 2 Houston visits No. 11 Baylor at brand new Foster Pavilion today in the biggest game of the weekend. A win would make the Cougars the first team to four road wins in the Big 12 (currently 3-3). It would also give UH its second five-game winning streak in the league.

The last time Houston beat Baylor was on this date – February 24, 1996 – a 79-69 win at Hofheinz. 28 years! The teams have played just twice since then, both in NFL stadiums (2002 at Reliant Stadium and in 2021 in the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium).

the daily #204 | 2/24/2024 | Archives
 

Baylor Personnel

*Probable Starter
 
*#4 Ja’Kobe Walter 6’5″ Fr. – 14ppg, 5rpg

• Long/athletic guard;
• Very talented three-level scorer;
• Good three-point shooter;
• Can create off the dribble and make tough shots:

*Probable Starter
*#10 RayJ Dennis 6’2″ Sr. – 13ppg, 4rpg, 7apg (Boise State/Toledo)

• ELITE three-level scoring point guard;
• Excellent three-point shooter – shoots 38% from three;
• Ranked #7 in the nation in assists per game with 6.6 (#1 in the Big 12):
  

*#21 Yves Missi 7’0″ Fr. – 11ppg, 6rpg, 2bpg

• Extremely long/athletic post player;
• Skilled in the post with good/soft hands;
• Capable at driving from the top of the key; LOVES to drive right!!!;
• Very good shot blocker, but goes for every shot fake and gives up some baskets inside (Feed J’Wan and let him go to work):
  

*#2 Jayden Nunn 6’4″ Jr. – 11ppg, 3rpg, 2apg (VCU)

• Quick shooting guard;
• Really good at attacking the basket;
• Solid three-point shooter. Shoots 45% from three;
• Loves to run in transition:
  

*#11 Jalen Bridges 6’9″ Sr. – 11ppg, 5rpg, 2apg (West Virgina)

• Long/athletic forward;
• Shoots 40% from three;
• Tough finisher at the rim:

#13 Langston Love 6’5″ RS So. – 11ppg, 3rpg

• Dynamic shooting guard;
• Returned from injury @ BYU; Played 13 minutes, but only scored one FG;
• Probable Big 12 sixth man of the year (I would vote Curtis Jones from Iowa State);
• Shoots 49% from three!;

#15 Josh Ojianwuna 6’10” So. – 5ppg, 3rpg

• High energy, strong, athletic post player off the bench;
• Very good defender anywhere on the floor. Uses his wing span and athleticism very well;
• Great rim-runner;
• Solid in the post;
• Good in the pick and roll;
• Really good offensive rebounder:
  

#33 Caleb Lohner 6’8″ Sr. – 2ppg, 2rpg (BYU)

• Athletic forward:

#1 Miro Little 6’4″ Fr. – 2ppg, 1rpg

Keys to Victory

1. Get extra offensive opportunities. Baylor struggles to rebound, and UH must take advantage of the extra opportunities. The Coogs will need to get several put-backs and dagger-threes to beat Baylor in Waco.
2. Attack the paint. The teams that have had the most success against Baylor have had aggressive guards that attack the paint on offense and look to score or kick for open three-point opportunities. UH should also be able to feed J’Wan Roberts and let him go to work in the post.
3. Identify who is hot for them. They have several guys capable of getting hot on offense. The Coogs struggled against Iowa State by not identifying that Tre King and Keshon Gilbert were heating up. They will need to be dialed in and take away whatever is working for Baylor.
4. Hold them under 71 points. With the exception of their loss to TCU in triple-overtime (in which they scored 102 points!!!), in their seven losses this year, they scored 71 or fewer points. The Coogs need to lock in and keep them around 67 points.
5. Toughest team wins. This has been a common theme lately. The Big 12 is full of tough teams. Baylor is no different. In my non-biased (winky face) opinion, Houston is the toughest team in the nation. They will have to be to beat Baylor in Waco. The Bears are extremely talented. It may come down to a loose ball, offensive rebound, or charge taken to seal a win. Who will make the “sit down and shut up” shot for the Coogs when Baylor makes a run? Lately, it has been Mylik Wilson! It will be a war, and the toughest team will likely come out victorious.