OKLAHOMA CITY – With the Houston Cougars 31-point win over Idaho in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the stage is set for a Texas two-step against Texas A&M on Saturday night.
So what are three things the Cougars need to do to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 back in Houston at the Toyota Center?
1) CONTINUE WINNING THE REBOUNDING BATTLE
Part of Thursday night’s win over the Idaho Vandals, who have loved getting second-chance opportunities all season long, was limiting their rebounding. The Cougars outrebounded them 39-7 when the Vandals put a shot up. In total rebounds, the Cougars finished with 47, 39 of which were defensive rebounds. Freshman forward Chris Cenac had a season-high 18 total rebounds, 17 of which were defensive rebounds. Playing contested defense while denying the Aggies’ offense a second chance at the basket will be critical.
2) MATCH TEXAS A&M’S PHYSICALITY
The Aggies have been known to be a bruising team all season long, and it was on full display during their first-round matchup with St. Mary’s. The Gaels were a taller team than Texas A&M, but they got pushed around by the Aggies, resulting in 12 steals by the Texas A&M defense, which they mostly capitalized on with fast-break points. The Cougars will need to play a physical, aggressive style of basketball on Saturday night to impose their will on the Aggies early.
Emanuel Sharp shared his thoughts on the projected physicality of tomorrow night’s game.
“We gotta be tough, we gotta play our hard-nose brand of basketball, and that usually helps us get ahead in games, so just making sure we’re competing on the glass, taking care of the ball, and doing all the right things in terms of hustle plays, playing our culture,” Sharp said.
3) LIMIT TURNOVERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
The Cougars finished with seven turnovers against Idaho on Thursday night, not their season-high, but when things get sloppy offensively for Houston, it leads to an ugly game. In the February 21st loss at home to Arizona, the Cougars had one of their worst turnover games of the season, with 12 for the day. If the Cougars can play a cleaner game of basketball against an emotional and physical team in the Aggies, they should be able to limit mistakes and come back to Houston with another March Madness win.
“Two good programs, it’s a different coach now, but two exciting teams facing off against each other, so it’s gonna be fun,” said senior guard Milos Uzan.
The Cougars and Aggies tip off at 5:10 p.m. from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Saturday.