What to Expect in Houston’s Second Matchup Against Texas Tech
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If the second contest between No. 6 Houston and No. 12 Texas Tech is anything like the first, it will be close and another battle until the final few minutes.
For the Cougars, they enter the weekend with a 17-1 record without a loss in the Big 12. As for the Red Raiders, they hold a 15-4 record, going 5-1 in conference so far.
Both teams know what is at stake in this one and how adding a Quadrant 1 win to the resume would make another statement to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee on Selection Sunday. Each team is also aware of why this game is important: either having the head-to-head or splitting the series will impact tiebreaker scenarios going into the Big 12 Tournament.
ESPN Analytics gives Houston the edge, with a 60.4 percent chance of winning the game. ESPN’s College Gameday will be in attendance for the matchup, so that signifies how massive the game is.
What do the Cougars have to do to extend their winning streak with an offense and defense continuing to rise to the occasion? Does the Red Raiders' defense have enough answers down the stretch to pull away late? What do the stats say, and who are players to keep an eye out for?
Houston vs Texas Tech Preview
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Going into the weekend, the Red Raiders are coming off a 92-73 victory over Baylor, while the Cougars have had most of the week off to prepare with a bye after winning a Sunday affair against Arizona State, 103-73.
Looking at the numbers, Texas Tech is doing better in points, field goal percentage, rebounds, and assists, while Houston is better in points against, blocks, and steals. Texas Tech is shooting 47 percent from the field, recording 16.2 assists, reeling in 48 rebounds, and averaging 83.8 points per game. On the other hand, Houston is tallying 4.1 blocks, 8.9 steals, and giving up 60.1 points.
Behind the arc, the Cougars are also shooting 34.2 percent, and from the charity stripe, they are 76.3 percent. In that same department, the Red Raiders are 39.21 percent from three and 70.3 percent from the line.
Based on these two categories, the Cougars finished worse in both in the first matchup, going 24 percent from three and 77 percent from the charity stripe, while the Red Raiders were 32 percent from three and 91 percent from the line, so it could come down to which team does better there.
Coach Kelvin Sampson’s program is elite as a defense, where they are No. 2 as a scoring defense, No. 3 in turnover margin, No. 10 in scoring margin, No. 12 in offensive rebounds, No. 16 in field goal percentage defense, No. 17 in turnovers forced per game, and No. 41 in steals.
For coach Grant McCasland’s team, they are No. 7 in 3-pointers per game, No. 12 in three-point percentage, No. 32 in three-point attempts, and No. 43 in assist-to-turnover ratio.
The five wins Houston has had so far in the Big 12 have come against Baylor, Arizona State, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati. For Texas Tech, its wins have come against Baylor, BYU, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma State.
Whichever team can stick to its identity and make more plays under pressure will come out victorious.
Players To Watch
Last time these two squads met for the second conference game of the year, it was the Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. show for the Cougars. Flemings ended up recording 23 points, and Cenac Jr. finished with a double-double. There was also a bunch of Jaylen Petty and JT Toppin, who combined for 38 of the 65 points.
For the Red Raiders, LeJuan Watts, Donovan Atwell, and Christian Anderson each got a fair share of minutes, playing 30 or more and combining for 15 rebounds. Their bench wasn’t utilized as much, nor was Houston’s.
Joseph Tugler, Milos Uzan, and Emanuel Sharp had solid outings and played in 34 or more minutes.
If any of these guys for the Cougars start to heat up, it could be a long day because a lot of the heavy work has been on the two freshman stars.
To catch the action, turn on ESPN at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, to see what the outcome is.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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