Cougars extend start to 12-0
Kelvin Sampson shook his head, almost in amazement, as he looked at the stat sheet following Thursday’s 72-37 win over Texas State.
“Unbelievable,” the University of Houston men’s basketball coach said. “Our defense was really, really good in the first half. But in the second half, it was even better. It’s hard to hold teams like this to 37 points.”
This was no Christmas miracle. This was the thirdranked team in college basketball doing what it does best.
This was the Grinch Who Stole the Basketball. Over and over and over.
Twenty-seven turnovers.
Fourteen steals. “Twenty-seven turnovers,” Sampson repeated, almost in awe. “And to do it for 40 minutes.”
On a night the Cougars kept dropping lumps of coal in the basket — they missed 13 of 14 shots early in the first half but still built a double-digit lead — they won by 35 points.
“A lot of teams, in a game like tonight, it would have been a 10- or 15-point game the way we shot,” said Sampson, whose team recovered to shoot nearly 50% after halftime. “But we won by 35. We won by 35 because of our defense. As you march across your season, no matter who you play, you’re not going to have a lot of 80-point nights. If you need that 80point night to win a game, you’re asking to go .500. But your defense can be there every night.”
There will be plenty of games this season where steady scorers like Emanuel Sharp and L.J. Cryer will carry the offensive load. Sharp had 17 points against Texas State (6-6), a majority courtesy of an 11-of-11 performance from the freethrow line. Cryer had nine points, ending a streak of 10 straight games in double figures.
Big man Ja’Vier Francis matched a season-high with 13 points and five rebounds. Point guard Jamal Shead added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. But with reserve guard Terrance Arceneaux out for the season with an Achilles injury and J’Wan Roberts limited to eight minutes with a sore knee and bruised quad, Sampson was able to “fiddle with the motor” as he experiments with ways to use Damian Dunn, JoJo Tugler, Ramon Walker Jr. and Mylik Wilson with a rugged first season in the Big 12 Conference fast approaching.
“Now with Terrance out, we’ll go back to the drawing board and start getting JoJo ready,” said Sampson, who inserted the 6-7 true freshman Tugler at the 4spot to begin the second half and got immediate dividends with a couple rebounds and a putback. “Ramon needs to get back into game shape and game mindset.”
Sampson has said the Cougars will eventually lose a game. Probably a few.
They also could win a national title. Defense wins championships, right?
That defense is a big reason the Cougars (12-0) are one of three remaining unbeaten teams — along with James Madison and Mississippi — in Division I. It’s the third-best start in program history, behind only the 1967-68 (31-0) and 201819 (15-0) teams.
Entering Thursday, UH led the nation in scoring defense (51.2 points) and field-goal percentage defense (35.3%). On Thursday, UH flirted with its first 30-turnover game since 2012 against Louisiana College.
Consider this: Of the 24 halves played this season, the Cougars have held an opponent under 20 points eight times.
“This is clearly the best defensive team in the country,” Texas State coach Terrence Johnson said. “We knew we were going to have some (turnovers). We thought we could see the reads a little clearer.”
Now the Cougars will enjoy a four-day break before returning after Christmas. UH will play Penn next Saturday before opening Big 12 play at home against West Virginia on Jan. 6.
“Thirty-five years of doing this, this was the game that I probably had to coach this one harder than any other one,” Sampson said.
At this time of year, the Cougars have usually been on the road playing in a holiday tournament or preparing for a late December conference opener.
“This will be the first time we’ve had Christmas off in I don’t know how long,” Sampson said.
After Thursday’s game, Sampson said many of the players’ cars were packed for the drive home. The schedule the next few days?
“Nothing,” he said. “I don’t want to see them for four days. If they knock on my door, I’m not answering. If they’re bringing me a gift, leave it on the doormat, stick it in the mailbox. I don’t want to see them. And I’m pretty sure they don’t want to see me, either.”