Rugged finish follows tough grind
Visit by Tulsa begins closing 5-game stretch vs. AAC’s top teams after busy 9-day span
Justin Gorham pulls his fingers less an inch apart to explain how small the margin of error is for the University of Houston.
“We know these next couple games there is no room for error,” Gorham, a redshirt junior forward, said. “We need all these games.”
A tough five-game stretch to end the regular season awaits the No. 22 Cougars beginning Wednesday against Tulsa inside Fertitta Center. The backloaded schedule also includes Cincinnati, Connecticut and two games against Memphis.
Entering Wednesday, UH (20-6) is tied with Cincinnati for first place in the American Athletic Conference. Tulsa is one-half game back, followed by SMU, which pulled within 1½ games after beating the Cougars 73-72 in overtime on Saturday.
“I’m proud of this team, how far they’ve come,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “When Armoni (Brooks) decided not to come back, if you told me we would be tied for first place with three weeks to go, that would be good. I wouldn’t expect it, but that
would be good.”
UH is in position to defend its regular season title with a young roster that lacks a go-to scorer. Meanwhile, the Cougars have navigated an exhausting schedule that recently included four games in nine days. UH went 3-1 during that stretch.
Sampson is quick to remind his players that every team has UH circled on the calendar.
“Our freshmen and sophomores, our young guys, don’t really understand the desperation that these other teams are going to play against us and how big our game has become,” Sampson said. “Everybody wants payback from last year or the year before.”
A few breaks here and there, and the Cougars could have been in position to run away with the title. They blew a five-point lead in the final 93 seconds to Tulsa, had critical turnovers in a loss to Cincinnati, and lost on a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left against SMU.
Three losses. All on the road. By a combined five points.
“We’ve had our chances, Sampson said. “We put ourselves in position to win the game.
That’s all we can ask for when we go on the road. Sometimes it’s not about anything but a break.”
A year ago, a veteran squad would have won all the close games. As the learning continues, redshirt freshman guard Caleb Mills said tight contests can only help the Cougars come the postseason, where they are in position for a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Being in those situations more often — we don’t want to be —but the more we are in, the more comfortable we get and know exactly what to do,” Mills said.
When the Cougars come up short, they’ve been able to bounce back, going 15-0 after a loss the last three seasons under Sampson. UH has not dropped consecutive games since January 2017.
“When you lose a game, you pick up the pieces and move forward,” Sampson said. “I’m not interested in looking in the rearview mirror. I’m only interested in moving forward.”
The schedule and quick turnarounds for road games has taken its toll in recent weeks. Guards Nate Hinton, Marcus Sasser and Mills struggled with fatigue in a 62-58 win over South Florida on Feb. 12. After the game, the Cougars arrived back to campus around 3 a.m., went through a light routine that day, and then loaded the bus the next day for a four-hour drive to Dallas.
The effects of a long season are beginning to show. Mills, the team’s leading scorer for majority of the season, is 3-of-21 in the last two games, including 0-for-8 on 3-pointers. Hinton, the most consistent player all season, is 4-of-11 for 10 points during that same span. Forward Fabian White Jr. has failed to reach double figures in five of the last six games. Sasser, a true freshman, had a breakout against SMU, posting a career-high 26 points.
All season, the Cougars have not known who the scoring load will fall upon. To have a chance to defend their title what can’t happen is stretches where several key players go cold or get into foul trouble. In the loss to SMU, DeJon Jarreau had 15 points but fouled out late in the second half. Quentin Grimes, who had snapped out of a mini funk, did not score until overtime and also fouled out.
“We have the kind of team you are never quite sure which buttons are going to hit,” Sampson said. “You push all the buttons and sometimes they pop up red and sometimes the power is off. (But) we’re pretty good at finding ways to win, ways to compete.”
For at least one game, the Cougars return to Fertitta Center, which has become one of the toughest venues in the conference to visit. UH is 11-2 at home this season and 45-3 between Fertitta Center and Texas Southern’s H&PE Arena since the 201718 season.
Friday the Cougars will visit Memphis. That will be followed by the first extended break since the start of league play.
“Our legs are a little tired, but that’s just one game,” Gorham said. “We’re going to turn it around. We just have to come in with the right attitude and the right effort and we’ll be fine.”