The One Problem That Could Plague the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament

The Houston Cougars have a problem that could be their Achilles heel in the NCAA Tournament

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson claps his hand while the Cougars play against the Baylor Bears in the second half at Fertitta Center. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Cougars wrapped up their regular season in heartbreaking fashion, dropping the Big 12 championship game in a thriller to the Arizona Wildcats 79-74.

Now, with all that is left to do, the Cougars are awaiting their final seeding, hoping to fall into the one-seed line. They are nearing all hands on deck to prepare for the NCAA Tournament in hopes of making a run like they did last season, when they lost in the national championship.

Fouling has been a problem this season for the Cougars, and it reared its head in the Big 12 championship as well. If it isn't cleaned up, it could present a significant obstacle when the tournament begins.

Aggressive and Cautious

BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) colides with Houston Cougars forward Chris Cenac Jr. (5) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

It's no secret that the Cougars are one of the most physical teams in the country; it's part of their identity, as they have been one of the toughest teams to play against when they are on defense. Playing suffocating basketball, not allowing their opponent to have any room to breathe, and forcing tough shots has become part of their identity.

With that, though, comes the risk of fouling, something that has plagued head coach Kelvin Sampson's team so far this season. They rank 217th in the country in personal fouls per game at 17.9, and 297th in personal fouls per play, being called on 23.7 percent of plays this year.

That was part of the problem in the loss to the Wildcats, committing 21 personal fouls as a team. Emanuel Sharp even fouled out of the game and was the only player on the Cougars roster to reach five personal fouls, while Joseph Tugler and Chris Cenac Jr. each had four, with the trio of them accounting for 13 of the 21 penalties on the night.

Comparatively, the Wildcats had 16 on the night, with half of them coming from two players after Koa Peat finished with five and fouled out, and Motiejus Krivas had three. That has been a trend this season as well, though, as the Cougars' opponents are averaging just 15.8 personal fouls per game and fouling on just 20.3 percent of plays on the year.

As they transition to the NCAA Tournament, where games get a little tighter, and the quality and quantity of opponents go up, the Cougars find themselves in a tough spot: their identity as a tough on-ball defense could be a significant problem in the tournament.