This blog, as the name suggests, will lean heavily on the Texans, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss other things. With the NCAA basketball tournament whittling the 68 teams in the tourney, down to the final four, we get a chance to get away from all things Texans for a minute.
This is of particular interest to those of us in H-Town, because for the 1st time since 1984, the University of Houston is in the Final Four. That team 37 years ago, was led by future Hall of Fame center Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon, known to us then as Akeem. That Final Four appearance 37 years ago was the last of 3 straight Final Four appearances by the fraternity known as Phi Slama Jama. The '82 and '83 teams also had future Hall of Fame player Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, along with Dream.
The last 2 of those 3 straight appearances, the Cougars made it to the championship game. In '83, they lost what to me is still the greatest heartbreaker I've ever experienced in sports, when they were upset on a last second shot by heavy underdogs, North Carolina State. In the '84 championship game, they were beaten by a Patrick Ewing led Georgetown team. After that, the Cougars got to the tournament just 4 more times ('87, '90, '92 & '10) in the next 32 years, losing in the 1st round all 4 times.
Enter HC Kelvin Sampson in 2014, taking over a once great program under Hall of Fame coach Guy V. Lewis, that had fallen on some really hard times. It took awhile, but Sampson not only got UH back to The Dance in '18, but they won their 1st tournament game since 1984. They lost a heartbreaker in the 2nd round to Michigan. A year later, the Coogs were back and they make it to the Sweet 16 for the 1st time since '84, where they got bounced by Kentucky. But the momentum was building at UH.
Then came 2020. The Coogs were ranked 22nd in the nation, and were well on their way to a 3rd straight tournament, when COVID hit and shut the world down. But that didn't stop what Sampson was building. 2021 can't be called a normal season in any way, with several games still being canceled, but the Coogs played what they had in front of them and end up being ranked #6 in the country. That was good enough to get them a #2 seed in their 3rd straight trip to the tourney.
The 2021 version of the Cougars are polar opposites of the Phi Slama Jama teams. Those '80's teams were a high flying, scoring at will bunch. This current group of Coogs, won't shoot the ball particularly well, but they will suffocate you on defense, and out-hustle and out-rebound you like their lives were on the line. And unlike those 80's teams with 2 future Hall of Fame studs, this group likely has no one on it that will ever draw an NBA paycheck, never mind be a star.
Not that this team can't score. They averaged nearly 77 points per game which was top 50 in the nation, out of well over 200 schools. But defense and rebounding is where this team really excels. UH was #2 in the nation in points per game allowed, #1 in FG% against, #3 in offensive rebounds per game, and 6th in the nation in total rebounds.
This group is led by The Woodlands native, G Quentin Grimes, a transfer from Kansas, in his 2nd year at UH, who leads the Coogs in scoring, averaging 18 points per game. DeJon Jarreau, a transfer from UMass, in his 3rd year at UH, is a defensive nightmare for opponents. Justin Gorham, a transfer from a tiny school called Towson, is a vacuum cleaner on the offensive boards, so that when the Coogs aren't shooting well, they get a ton of 2nd and 3rd chances.
After their sweet 16 exit 2 years ago, the Coogs find themselves not only back in the tourney, but as one of the best teams in it, getting a #2 seed. They take out their 1st round opponent, 15 seed Cleveland St. with relative ease. They get a scare in the 2nd round as they barely squeeze by 10th seed Rutgers, who upset 7th seed Clemson in the 1st round. They pull it out 63-60 to advance to the Sweet 16 for their 2nd time in as many tournaments. There they face another double digit seed in 11th seed Syracuse, who pulled off an upset over #3 West Virginia. Syracuse is a tournament staple, having played in a ton of tourneys in their history. The Cougars defense was a little too much for the Orange as they score just 46 points in a UH blowout, the fewest points Syracuse has ever scored in a tournament game.
That got the Coogs to the Elite 8 for the 1st time since those 80's teams. There they face their 4th double digit seed, a new tournament record, as Oregon St. knocks off the 4, 5 and 8 seeds in the bracket. The Coogs dominate the 1st half taking a 34-17 lead to the locker room. The defense was smothering the Beavers, and though the Coogs really weren't shooting particularly well, their 2nd chance opportunities allowed them to score the points they did. The 2nd half, however, was a totally different story. Oregon St. started making a run, and eventually erased that entire 17 point deficit, tying it at 55-55 with just under 4 minutes to go. Uh-oh. Was the "dream" season about to end?
Grimes scored the next 8 points for the Coogs, that included 2 huge 3 pointers. After tying it at 55 with 3:49, Oregon St. scored just 3 points in the next 3:29, as the Coogs defense woke back up. Some huge offensive rebounds helped keep the Beavers from getting chances, and they were forced to start fouling the Coogs, who scored their last 9 points of the game on free throws. The Coogs built the lead back up to 9 with 10 seconds to go, Oregon St. hit a 3 pointer with 4 seconds, and that was the ball game.
THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IS BACK IN THE FINAL FOUR!!!
There they will get no more double digit seeds as they will take on the #1 seed Baylor Bears on Saturday, for the chance to go to the National Championship game. Interesting that the last time the Coogs were in the Final Four, they were a member of the now defunct Southwest Conference. Baylor, who are making their 1st Final Four appearance since 1950, was also a member of the old SWC. So a battle of former conference rivals going at it on one of the biggest stages in American sports.
How weird would it be for this group of scrappy Coogs, who likely have no one on it that will play at the next level (NBA), maybe Grimes, to do what 2 eventual Hall of Fame players could not?
EAT 'EM UP COOGS!!!!!
In the National semifinal game, the Cougars were no match for the eventual champion Baylor Bears. The Coogs met a team that played it like they did, with a smothering defense, and offensive rebounds. One big difference was that the Bears were a much better shooting team than UH. The Cougars shot below 30% in the 1st half, while Baylor was well over 50%, and dominated the offensive glass. The Coogs weren't getting any 2nd chance opportunities. As a result, UH was down by 25 at the half.
ReplyDeleteIn the 2nd half the Cougars were a little more competitive, actually outscoring Baylor 39-33, but far too much damage was done in that 1st half and the game was never close as the Coogs fall 78-59. And after the Bears destroyed undefeated Gonzaga by 16 in the championship game, it was clear that Baylor was the superior team.