2 Key Takeaways From Houston's Big 12 Tournament Win Over BYU
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It took overcoming a season-high 16 turnovers and as many as four Houston Cougars playing with three fouls, all while contesting the third consecutive 20-point conference tournament game by freshman forward AJ Dybantsa.
But in capping off his team-high 17-point performance, freshman guard Kingston Flemings launched a crucial right-wing triple that created game-sealing separation for No. 2-seed Houston men's basketball in its 73-66 win over No. 10-seed BYU in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Thursday.
It was only 49 seconds into the second half that Flemings picked up his third foul, while entering with seven points and eight of Houston's 29 attempts from the floor. With under seven minutes left, he picked up his fourth.
But in diving for loose balls and tallying four of Houston's 37 rebounds in its plus-7 finish, Flemings put the finishing touches on an ailing BYU squad that faced the absence of one of its premier 3-point shooters in senior guard Richie Saunders.
Pair that with a combined 22 points and 15 boards between its starting frontcourt, and Houston has clinched a date in the semifinals for Friday, in facing the winner of No. 6-seed TCU against No. 3-seed Kansas.
But what was there to take away from Houston's quarterfinals win, even if it wasn't the prettiest of displays in ball security and early offense?
Can Houston fix turnovers with quick turnaround into semis?
"We were out of character in a lot of ways in the first half," coach Kelvin Sampson said.
It's as straight a shot of admission as anyone can make, considering no denial that it wasn't Houston's best offensive frame nor its cleanest in terms of ball security.
By the end of the first half, there weren't even 30 attempts from the floor from either team. Redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp launched the half's only triple, and nine turnovers set the template for Houston's eventual season-high.
But even in a winning effort, there is one possibility that if No. 3-seed Kansas is Houston's semifinals matchup, that a larger test stands before a potential trip to the championship game, with the Jayhawks' home crowd just 40 minutes away across the border in Lawrence.
In Houston's 69-56 loss to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 23, the Cougars committed six turnovers towards the Jayhawk's 49-29 scoring stretch from the 3:23 mark of the first half and on.
Though it's not Allen Fieldhouse, the Cougars have to consider facing a similar home crowd environment while getting off on a better offensive footing and limiting its turnovers. That consistency is one that needs to remain on the clock.
Paint jobs, boards also crucial for certain potential matchup
With the red Cougars edging the blue 30-24 in the paint and winning the boards 37-30, the inside action becomes more and more implicative for Houston's success in March.
Houston's loss to Kansas on Feb. 23 also exposed the lack of an inside scorer for the Cougars considering they had to replace forward J'Wan Roberts' presence at the four with a stretch-big in freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., who finished with seven boards Thursday.
But in the key, where a lay-in misses its mark, junior forward Joseph Tugler finds his way to tip the shot back in with his 7-foot-6 wingspan.
The physicality shows that Tugler is more than capable of being able to match an inside scoring presence late in the season, even at the five.
Pair that with his team-high eight rebounds while playing a fluid 28 minutes, and Houston has a case for a different look for a potential rematch in the semifinals, even if the Jayhawks are close to home.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.