3 Things That Cost Houston Cougars in Loss vs. Illinois
In this story:
The Houston Cougars' quest back to the title game of the NCAA Tournament after coming up just short a year ago, finishing as runners-up, has come to an end in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Cougars looked poised and, with their history, were expected to make a deep run through the NCAA Tournament heading into the madness as a No. 2 seed. The Cougars had cruised through their first two rounds, winning both games by 31 points over the Idaho Vandals and Texas A&M Aggies.
After their wins, the Coogs advanced to their seventh Sweet Sixteen in a row, which would be where the Coogs' season would end, falling to the Illinois Fighting Illini 66-55 on Thursday night. With the Coogs' season now over, here are three things that cost the Coogs another trip to the Elite Eight.
Rough Shooting Night
The Cougars have been highly dependent on being highly efficient on the offensive side of the court with good shots either inside in the paint or from beyond the arc; however, against Illinois, the Cougars did not have the most efficient night.
Houston as a team shot 34 percent from the field, making 22 of its 64 shots on the night. From three-point range, the Cougars struggled mightily, shooting 28 percent from beyond the three-point line, making just 9 of their 32 three-point shot attempts.
The Coogs' two leading scorers, Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp, did not have their most efficient nights, shooting a combined 11 of 26 from the field, even though the duo combined for 28 of the Coogs' 55 points on the evening.
Sharp ended the night as the team's leading scorer with 17 points while shooting 7 of 16 from the field and 3 of 10 from beyond the arc, while Flemings posted 11 points, shooting 4 of 10 from the field and 1 of 3 from three.
Losing the Rebound Battle
Rebounding the basketball has been a pillar for the Cougars that has allowed them to have their run of success under head coach Kelvin Sampson, with rebounding being something his teams have prided themselves on; however, they were outdone in the rebounding department against Illinois.
The Fighting Illini outrebounded the Cougars, winning the rebounding battle 43-34 and narrowly beat the Cougars on the offensive glass, gaining 12 offensive rebounds to 12. And Illinois found success with their extra possession scoring 12 second chance points with 10 of those points coming in the second half.
Out Produced off the Bench
While the focus of any game is on the starting five, the bench can provide key minutes and production, especially this late into the NCAA Tournament, and the Fighting Illini found a lot more bench production off the bench.
Illinois would end the night with 18 bench points compared to Houston's nine. Leading the Fighting Illini off the bench was guard Andrej Stojakovic, who scored 13 of Illinois' 18 bench points while shooting 5 of 8 from the field and 1 of 3 from beyond the arc to go along with two assists and a steal in 28 minutes.
