The first game of the South Region’s Round of 32 began Saturday night in Oklahoma City, as the No. 2 ranked Houston Cougars took on the No. 10 ranked Texas A&M Aggies. With a trip to the Sweet Sixteen (and Houston) on the line, the stakes were high.
Coming off a dominant win against the Idaho Vandals, Houston looked to carry that dominating mindset into a battle against the aggressive A&M Aggies. From the tip, it was shown that natural possessions wouldn’t be enough to secure this win.
Seven of Houston’s 15 early points came from offensive rebounds created by graduate senior Khalifa Sakho. A few threes were made early, but this was a clear indication that rebounds and paint points would be the deciding factor of the second round.
“We were getting the ball to the rim, and I thought if we get to the rim we can get second and third shots,” Coach Sampson explained post game. “Even if you miss, you’re in great position to offensive rebound, and we’ve been one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country for a lot of years.”
Halfway through the first half, the Cougars found themselves up 19-16 with senior guard Emanual Sharp’s eight points leading the way. The Aggies tied the Cougars for six paint points, but had a full team effort scoring wise with their bench and starters contributing equally.
However, they kept shooting themselves in the foot, never quite able to take the lead. After surrendering four offensive rebounds on one possession, their bench received a technical foul, sending Houston to the free-throw line.
Soon after, they committed a flagrant foul on a Sharp three-point attempt.
Even when A&M gave themselves chances on fastbreak opportunities or fully ran plays, the Cougars continued to effectively halt them. Junior forward Joseph Tugler had two momentum shifting blocks, which led to four more points for Emanuel Sharp.
The dominance began to show going into halftime, with the Cougars completing a 17-4 run and holding an 18-point lead at intermission. Thanks to a plus-6 margin on the boards and a plus-7 edge at the free-throw line, the halftime score stretched to a lopsided 46-28.
Houston didn’t let up to open the second half. Flemings and Sharp each scored and-one layups in the first two possessions to keep the energy alive.
While the Aggies tried to impose their will through a constant full court press, the Cougars continuously ‘walked them down.’ From Cenac, to Uzan, to Mercy Miller, the basket began to seem wider and wider.
Once the game reached its end, the biggest difference on the stat sheet ended up being the rebounds and blocks. Houston finished with seven rejections compared to A&M’s zero, and the rebound comparison was 46-29.
“We had 19 offensive rebounds. I feel like when you’re getting close to fifty percent of your misses, it shows that we’re playing hard as a whole,” Sharp said, addressing what stood out in the win. “We didn’t shoot it well from the field, but we were still able to score and generate buckets, which is big. Once our shot starts falling, we’re even better. Just a great all-around effort and I thought it was forty minutes of hard playing basketball”
The Cougars led by as many as 31, which was the margin of victory in their 88-57 win. Emanuel Sharp and Chris Cenac Jr. combined for 35 points.
Houston passed their Oklahoma tests with flying colors, having a combined win margin of a 62 points through the first two rounds. The Cougars will be taking their justified confidence back home to Texas for their sixth straight Sweet Sixteen.
Their next southern region opponent is the Illinois Fighting Illi, a team that scored 105 points in their opening game against Penn State. The Cougars will likely look forward to the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd, as the game will take place at the Toyota Center on Thursday, March 26.
Delivered by Le’Raun Peron
