For the third straight year, the University of Houston men’s basketball team is a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s a huge accomplishment, something only eight other teams have ever done, and another reminder the Coach Kelvin Sampson runs perhaps the best college basketball program in the country.
And this team might be Sampson’s best. They still show their coach’s trademark defensive intensity, but this is an elite team on offense as well. It’s why they are considered among the favorites to win it all. Here are some thoughts as they enter March Madness.
The Coogs side of the bracket is not tough, but presents some obstacles.
After UH dispatches with SIU Edwardsville in round one, the path through the Midwest division is a winding one. Presuming winning follows the higher seeds (a BAD bet every year), Gonzaga (8) is likely up next. The perennial tourney team will present an interesting challenge for Sampson’s squad, but the Cougars are clearly the better team. If they get through to the Elite Eight, it could be a match up with Tennessee, a similarly defensive minded group. That could be a slog in a winner-takes-a-spot-in-the-Final-Four matchup.
J’Wan Roberts’ ankle health is critical.
The sixth-year player has been such a pivotal post player for this team throughout this remarkable run. He has said his sprained ankle will be ready for the tournament. It better be, at least for Gonzaga, which is flush with big men. If there is a weakness for the Coogs, it’s depth at center making Roberts’ availability even more important.
Three-and-D will be the key to their success.
In the NBA, players who defend and shoot the three well are often coveted role players. The Cougars have essentially an entire team built around this mentality. They, as a team, shoot better than 40 percent from downtown. L.J. Cryer, their best offensive player, is at 43 percent. And few teams are more stingy defensively than UH, particularly in the paint which they guard fiercely. Very few teams will out work them, but making shots and defending in the paint, their calling card, will be what propels them to another Final Four.
Can transfer Milos Uzan excel as he has been the second half of the season?
The sophomore Oklahoma transfer has been steadily improving throughout the season. A huge get for UH, he missed time in the preseason with a broken nose and spent much of the first half of the year getting adjusted to his new coach’s system. By the Big 12 championship game, he was leading the team with 25 points and 4 assists. Uzan’s rise has mirrored the team’s, having lost only one game since November. If he, Cryer and fellow guard, Emmanuel Sharp, can carry the team offensively, they will be very tough to beat.
