No. 4 Houston brings its elite defense to Provo for Tuesday’s Big 12 showdown
They both have Cougars as mascots, but No. 21 BYU and No. 4 Houston couldn’t be more different in terms of playing styles ahead of Tuesday’s critical Big 12 matchup at the Marriott Center.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. MST and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
“It was so devastating to us that we couldn’t deliver the win (in Lubbock). But this team, we are a work in progress and we are going to continue to get better.” — BYU coach Mark Pope
Houston (3-2, 16-2) has been one of the nation’s top defensive teams since the season began.
BYU (2-3, 14-4) has been one of the best offensive teams in the country, although the blue Cougars’ numbers have slipped as they’ve gotten into Big 12 play and faced much tougher competition than they did in the nonconference portion of their schedule.
“This Big 12 schedule is no joke,” said BYU wing Richie Saunders, the 6-foot-5 sophomore from Riverton who prepped at central Utah’s Wasatch Academy his final two years of high school. “This stretch (of games) we are in is crazy.”
The stretch of No. 24 Iowa State, No. 25 Texas Tech (now No. 20) and No. 4 Houston marks the first time BYU will have played three ranked teams in a row since the 1980-81 NCAA Tournament, when it defeated No. 10 UCLA and No. 7 Notre Dame before falling in the Elite Eight to No. 5 Virginia and Ralph Sampson.
BYU hosts Texas (2-3, 13-5) on Saturday, but the Longhorns aren’t ranked after losing three of their first four Big 12 games this month.
They are incredibly dangerous, however, having beaten No. 9 Baylor 75-73 Saturday afternoon at the Moody Center in Austin.
But first things first.
BYU will try to beat a top-five team for the first time since Feb. 22, 2020, when it upset No. 2 Gonzaga 91-78 at the Marriott Center.
The gauntlet of games “is going to make us keep getting better and better, and we are excited about it,” BYU coach Mark Pope said after the 85-78 loss to Texas Tech Saturday. “There is not a lot of emotional time to waste right now. We got 72 hours and we are playing a massive game at home against Houston, so let’s go.”
Texas Tech’s crowd made a big difference as the Red Raiders outscored the Cougars 53-30 in the second half and the home team enjoyed an 18-5 advantage at the free-throw line, so Pope would like to see a similar atmosphere in Provo.
BYU is 14th in the country in average home attendance, drawing 14,628 fans per game.
“It was so devastating to us that we couldn’t deliver the win (at United Supermarkets Arena) in Lubbock,” Pope told the BYU Sports Radio Network. “But this team, we are a work in progress and we are going to continue to get better.”
To win, BYU must figure out a way to score against arguably the best defensive team in the country. Houston held UCF to just seven field goals, on 44 attempts, in last Saturday’s 57-42 win. The Knights were just 3 of 23 on 2-point attempts and 4 of 21 on 3-point attempts.
Their best offense was getting to the free-throw line, where they were 24 of 33.
That strategy probably won’t work for BYU, as the Cougars have struggled to get to the line all season — even against inferior teams. BYU is 343rd out of 351 teams in the county in free-throw attempts per game (13.9) and 336th in free throws made per game (10.2).
Pope said he and his players wouldn’t want it any other way.
Houston and BYU are among 11 of the 14 Big 12 teams that are either 3-2 or 2-3. Texas Tech and Kansas State are at 4-1, while Oklahoma State is at 0-5.
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“All the craziness that has happened in this league right now, it is everything we could have hoped for and these venues are spectacular and the teams we are playing against are elite level,” Pope said.
Houston is a national title contender, sitting at No. 1 in the NET rankings (BYU is No. 5) and No. 1 in Kenpom.com (BYU is No. 10).
The red Cougars are also No. 1 in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by 22.9 points per game. Despite its three league losses by 11, 9 and 7 points, BYU is No. 2 in scoring margin, 20.4.
Defensively, however, there is a big difference between the squads.
Houston is No. 1 in scoring defense (51.0), considerably in front of No. 2 Virginia (58.1), and No. 1 in field goal percentage defense (34.3%).
Pope talked a lot last Monday about Iowa State being elite at forcing turnovers, but Houston is just as good. It leads the country in turnover margin (7.7) and is No. 6 in steals per game (10.6).
Cougars on the air
No. 4 Houston (3-2, 16-2)
at No. 21 BYU (2-3, 14-4)
Tuesday, 7 p.m. MST
Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM
One of the biggest weapons in college basketball is the steal, because it often leads to easy baskets on the other end of the floor. BYU committed 12 turnovers against Texas Tech, which led to 24 points for the Red Raiders, and was one of the key reasons why the Cougars lost.
“They were just able to capitalize on every single turnover,” Pope said. “And that is something we will learn from, we will grow from. But that certainly was a little bit of a gut-punch for us.”
