Houston's Paint Pressure and Ball Movement Outlast Auburn

When the Cougars walked onto the floor for the first time of the afternoon, there was a mindset of being the alpha due to the stakes on the line. To exit the arena, every single player on coach Kelvin Sampson’s roster knew that feeding the ball inside and around the arc would be essential to keep the Tigers on its toes. 

Flemings did a phenomenal job of doing that in the first half as he led the Cougars at the break with 18 points. He had great awareness of where his teammates were on the court and could trust them to make legal screens and find open space.  

When Cenac Jr. was on the floor, the freshman found a way to compete against several elite athletes who have experience in a collegiate basketball setting. He drilled a handful of jumpers in the first period, where his ball-handling skills were an issue for Auburn. Beautiful passes swinging it out helped make Auburn’s defense scattered all over the floor. 

Sampson’s squad excelled in spatial awareness, knocking down shots. In front of a crowd that wasn’t as friendly to Houston, the offense kept the crowd that favored Auburn out of the game, which saw several scoring droughts and runs where Houston was drilling its field goals while it went cold from the field.  

The Cougars stuck to their game plan, being aggressive at the glass, where they penetrated down the lane and kicked the ball out quickly. At halftime, four of the starting five players registered many rebounds, which combined for 20. That’s what powered them through the next 20 minutes. 

Second Half Mayhem

In an afternoon where neither school was able to go on an extended run, it kept Houston and Auburn in a tight fight that came down to the wire. What was most notable was how Sampson’s offense ran through the lane and leaned heavily on getting shots to rattle in from middle distance. 

Imposing a more potent force inside the paint was the difference in this game as the Cougars manhandled the Tigers. That’s a credit to what Sampson likes to harp on during practice and adjustments in the game. Throughout his career, it's evident how successful he was in teaching his offense to beat down other squads. He won against the two forward protectors of the rim, KeShawn Murphy and Sebastian Williams-Adams. 34 Cougars paint points.

What else stood out was how Houston was able to drill more field goals in the second period compared to how it had been throwing up shots in the previous period. 

At halftime, Houston shot at 27.3 percent, where it finished strong at 43 percent. Part of that was Milos Uzan heating up, scoring nine points in the final 20 minutes after he had only two. When he wakes up and starts feeling himself from anywhere, he makes Houston one of the most dangerous shooting teams with the depth.

Kudos to Flemings, Sharp, and Cenac for remaining consistent on offense and defense, as long minutes give a feel for what to expect when Big 12 play and NCAA Tournament games come around.