Notable Defensive Statistic Puts Houston Cougars in Elite Company
In this story:
It isn't surprising to see the No. 8 Houston Cougars dominating on the defensive side of the court this season. With head coach Kelvin Sampson emphasizing the basics throughout his coaching career, his teams have always been extremely talented when it comes to limiting the production of explosive offenses.
Even with multiple freshman starters, the Cougars have continued their trend of suffocating defense with the No. 10 defensive field goal percentage in the country. Opposing offenses are making just over 37 percent of their shots against Houston this season. Some other notable teams that are top-10 in the statistic include No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Duke, and No. 12 North Carolina.
While conference play will present an entirely different challenge for the Cougars, being top-10 in any defensive statistic shows that you're doing something right. If Sampson's squad can keep forcing formidable offenses into difficult shots, their defensive identity could carry Houston deep into the Big 12 gauntlet.
Freshman Buying Into Sampson's System
Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. have been the talk of Houston Basketball this season. With Flemings averaging just under 15 points per game and Cenac Jr. averaging 9.5 points per game, it's clear that the freshmen can be the focal point of the offense when needed.
While their ability to score has given Houston some explosive scoring options, it may be the full commitment to Sampson's defensive principles that continues to define the Cougars' identity on both ends of the floor.
There's also something to say about Houston's discipline this season. After the Cougars defeated the New Orleans Privateers last Saturday, Sampson praised the team's mindset and their willingness to embrace the roles that the coaching staff has orchestrated for them.
“It’s all about attitude,” Sampson said. “Our guys don’t sit over there and pout because they aren’t in. No one's asking why this or why that. Our kids don’t care about that. That’s the great thing about our family here: everybody understands their role because I’ve defined it for them. It’s their job to play the role. There’s not going to be any discussion or negotiation about it. It’s who we are. It’s how we do things here. We have high-character kids, which is all we recruit.”
Even freshman guard Isiah Harwell has embraced his role, even if he isn't always in the starting five. Appearing for around 18 minutes per game, the Pocatello, Idaho native has averaged 5.3 points, 1.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game.
With major buy-in from both the veterans and young players in the program, Houston's identity of team-first defense has the Cougars ready for Big 12 play in just over two weeks.
