Kelvin Sampson Breaks Down What Sticks Out About Florida State
In this story:
The Houston Cougars make their way back to the court on Saturday after spending last week in Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament. In their time in Las Vegas, the Coogs battled in a three-game slate over the course of three days and ended the three-game stretch winning twice and losing for the first time this season.
Houston picked up a close overtime win against the Syracuse Orange in game one, before falling for the first time all year to the Tennessee Volunteers, before getting back on track with a win against Notre Dame. For their performance, the Coogs were dropped a few spots in this week's AP Poll, falling to No. 8.
Looking to get back on track and make the trek back up the rankings, the Coogs will return to the court this weekend as part of the Houston Hoops Showdown, taking on the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Kelvin Sampson Talks about the Seminoles
The Seminoles head into the matchup with a 5-3 record, with their three losses coming to other Power 4 programs, with Florida State losing games to defending national champions the Florida Gators, Texas A&M Aggies, and Georgia Bulldogs.
During a media availability on Wednesday, Kelvin Sampson broke down what sticks out to him about the Cougars' weekend opponents. Sampson deep dived into the Seminoles' defensive approach of high pressure and mentioned how the Coogs will have to be in control when trying to score the basketball.
"They're trying to create chaos, they just go run and trap whomever, and that just takes a team out of their comfort zone," Sampson said. "We're going to have to be able to flow from whatever we're doing offensively, and they're going to try and disrupt it. A lot of guys look, but they don't ever see, and that's where turnovers come in. If they leave somebody wide open to come trap, they're probably going to rotate somebody to the open guy and leave his man open."
Florida State headed into the season with a brand new look, with new head coach Luke Loucks taking over the program after spending time coaching in the NBA with both the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
Sampson also broke down the Seminoles' offensive system, which he can see, some of the NBA influence Loucks had brought with him after his seasons in the NBA.
"They do a great job with spacing and attacking the paint," Sampson said. "And again, creating chaos, they're extremely athletic. They have guys who can just go and make plays, so we have to be disciplined, make sure we are where we should be. Off-the-ball, make sure we are in our right spots."
