WEEKEND PREVIEW
UH heading back home after suffering first loss of young season
What to watch for on the hardwood this weekend.
Cougars aren’t perfect
The Houston Cougars suffered their first loss after a 5-0 start, falling 8465 on Tuesday at LSU, keeping them from reaching 6-0 for only the fourth time in school history. Guard Rob Gray scored 19 points, but he was the only starter who hit at least 50 percent of his field goals (6-of-11). The Cougars shot 40.4 percent as a team and only 33.3 in the second half. But the biggest problem was most of the Tigers’ misses went back to them, and they didn’t miss often, shooting 50 percent for the game (36-of-72). LSU outrebounded Houston 20-9 on the offensive glass and 46-28 for the game, helping them to 23 secondchance points. Houston managed only five, preventing them from posting their second straight win over the Tigers (Houston won 105-98 in OT last year at home). The good news is the Cougars are back home Saturday to face Prairie View A&M before heading out Tuesday to face another SEC opponent (Arkansas) on the road.
Misery mounting for UT
If back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Colorado weren’t enough to humble the Longhorns, Tuesday’s setback had to do it. Texas (3-3) lost 72-61 at home to Texas-Arlington, which drained 57.1 percent of its shots (16-of-28) in the second half to beat the Longhorns for the first time in 12 tries. Texas lacked leadership and energy in the second half, sending the team to its third straight setback, but the pieces are in place for a strong Big 12 showing, if they put them together. Sophomore swingman Tevin Mack had 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting against UT-Arlington, freshman forward Jarrett Allen double-doubled (13 points, 12 rebounds), and sophomore guard Kerwin Roach, a North Shore product, had 16 points and three steals. The Longhorns host Alabama at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Erwin Center.
Leaving a Legacy (title) in the Golden State
Texas A&M (4-2) came close to securing some early-season hardware last week, advancing to the Wooden Legacy title game with wins over Cal State Northridge (9573) and Virginia Tech (68-65) before stumbling 74-67 against No. 11 UCLA. The Aggies led 63-62 with 3:28 left after guard Admon Gilder’s 3-pointer but turnovers and missed shots did them in down the stretch. They finished with 12 turnovers, which is slightly below their average (12.5) on the season. After a week off, they’re back in College Station for three straight games at Reed Arena, starting with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. Monday. Denver and South Carolina State visit Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
Motley earns Big 12 honor
Another North Shore product, Baylor forward Johnathan Motley, had plenty to be thankful for last week, averaging 20 points, 7.3 rebounds and two assists en route to Big 12 player of the week honors. The 6-10 junior also was named Battle 4 Atlantis MVP after leading the ninthranked Bears to wins over Virginia Commonwealth (71-63), then-No. 24 Michigan State (73-58) and then-No. 10 Louisville (66-63). Motley shot 52.4 percent from the field and hit 83.3 percent of his free throws in the threegame stretch. He’s averaging 17.8 points and seven boards on the season. The ninth-ranked Bears host No. 7 Xavier at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Waco.
Evans on fire for Rice
Rice sophomore guard Marcus Evans, a preseason all-Conference USA selection, led the conference in scoring followingWednesday’s win over Houston Baptist, averaging 22.6 points per game on 47.3-percent shooting (44-of-93). Middle Tennessee forward JaCorey Williams (20.1) was second. Evans leads C-USA in free throws made (57) and was 16-of-43 on 3-point attempts during the Owls’ 6-1 start. They play Saturday at Texas Tech after winning a mid-week game with Houston Baptist.
Panthers struggling early
Prairie View A&M (2-5) dropped its second straight contest Sunday, falling 95-50 to No. 17 Wisconsin. The Panthers are hitting 42.3 percent of their field goals and committing 15.6 turnovers per game in the early going, and opponents are averaging 11 more rebounds. The schedule isn’t letting up either. They face Houston on Saturday and Kansas State on Tuesday, both on the road, and don’t play another home game until Dec. 28 against Huston-Tillotson.
TSU falls flats in 2nd half against La.-Lafayette
Texas Southern saw its fourgame winning streak end with an 84-73 setback against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday. The Tigers trailed only 43-42 at halftime but fell behind after an 18-4 run by the Ragin’ Cajuns, who also outrebounded them 41-30. After that winnable game, the Tigers naturally stumbled at Arizona. Their road trip takes to ing on Southern Illinois on Saturday in Carbondale, Ill.
Rice vs. Texas Tech, 1 p.m. Saturday, United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock
The Owls test themselves against a Red Raiders squad that also was 6-1 following Wednesday’s win over Incarnate Word. Texas Tech has won all five of its home games this year.
Around the Big 12
Texas tumbled out of the AP Top 25 after back-to-back losses at the Legends Classic, leaving the Big 12 with four ranked teams. Baylor jumped from No. 20 to No. 9 with one first-place vote, Kansas improved one spot to fourth, Iowa State moved up two spots to No. 19, and West Virginia fell to 25th.
State’s ranked women include A&M for first time
Texas A&M debuted in the AP Top 25 at No. 25 after a 71-45 win over Abilene Christian that sent the Aggies to 5-0. The stay in the Top 25 could be short-lived as A&M lost Wednesday to Southern Cal. Baylor moved up one spot to No. 4 after winning the Gulf Coast Showcase, and Texas stayed at No. 14 after an 86-39 win over Northwestern State to pull back to .500.