Houston Cougars Suffer First Loss of Season vs. Tennessee in Las Vegas
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Houston basketball lost 76-73 against the Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday afternoon, at the Players Era Festival, inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Cougars’ offense let them down in the second half, and they couldn't recover after blowing an early lead.
Houston now waits to see how things shake out, and they will play one final game on either Wednesday or Thursday.
Houston vs Tennessee Recap
Freshman guard Kingston Flemings bounced back from a rough outing against Syracuse with an outstanding all-around showing.
Flemings started out quick against the tough Tennessee defense, scoring nine early points.
He was a go-to guy down the stretch for Houston, and he ended his day with 25 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
After holding a 39-35 half-time lead, the Cougars went on a near eight-minute scoring drought that allowed Tennessee to regain the lead.
Senior guards Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp gave their best effort to mount a late comeback against the Volunteers, but the Cougars couldn't get stops late.
After a slow start, Uzan picked it up, and he ended with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. The veteran guard had two costly turnovers he normally doesn't make.
Sharp sat most of the first half because he picked up two early fouls. He did not come through when Houston needed him to be an elite scorer, and he finished with only eight points with Houston having a bad offensive second half.
Junior forward Joseph Tugler did not show up on defense today, and he failed to record a single block or steal.
He was better offensively, shooting 50 percent from the floor and he scored seven points.
Freshman guard Chris Cenac Jr. was once again elite on the boards, finishing with 11 in the game.
The Cougars desperately need the young star to pick it up offensively, as he went 2-for-8 from the field and he only managed five points.
Redshirt freshman forward Chase McCarty was Houston’s best bench player, despite only playing eight minutes in the game. He finished 2-for-3 from behind the arc and ended with six points.
Like head coach Kelvin Sampson has preached all season long, this is not the same team as last year’s team. They are inexperienced, and the Cougars desperately need these tough games to continue to grow.
There is no reeason to overreact to Houston’s first loss of the season. The Cougars started 4-3 last season and they found a way to make it all the way to the NCAA Tournament championship game.
This year’s team is loaded with talent, and it is only November. Give this team time and they will look completely different when conference play starts.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).