No. 6 Houston is on a roll.
The Cougars (18-2, 7-0 American Athletic Conference) have won 10 games in a row going into their matchup with an improving Tulane team Wednesday night in Houston.
Houston’s defense has been an integral part of the team’s recent surge. The Cougars held UCF to 34.6 percent shooting and a season-low point total in a 63-49 victory Saturday night in Orlando.
“Last year’s team went 28-4, and more often than not, defense is why that team got to the Final Four,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “This year’s team had to buy into that.”
The Cougars lead the country in field-goal percentage defense (36.3 percent) and they rank second in scoring defense (56.2 points per game). Their scoring defense has been even better of late as their past three opponents have averaged 46.7 points.
“I tell people all the time, it’s not hard to get talent because you can get good players,” Sampson said. “But it’s about getting kids to play for something bigger than themselves, and that’s what the defense is for us.”
Effective defense enabled Houston to overcome offensive struggles against UCF. The Knights took an 11-2 lead, but the Cougars wound up with a 34-23 halftime lead after UCF missed its last nine 3-point attempts before the break.
The Knights climbed within 42-39, but Houston held them to just 10 points during the final 12:23. UCF made just 6 of 28 3-point attempts for the game.
The Cougars are 7-0 in conference play for the first time in their nine seasons in the American.
Tulane (9-9, 6-3) has matched the highest conference win total from its eight seasons in the American after a dramatic comeback produced a 67-66 victory against Wichita State on Saturday in New Orleans.
The Green Wave have had just one winning record in conference play in the previous 24 seasons.
“I’ll say this,” Green Wave coach Ron Hunter said. “Basketball is back at Tulane.”
The Green Wave have made a habit of playing tight finishes. They have had 11 games decided five or fewer points this season, going 5-6 in those games.
It didn’t look as if their most recent game would go down to the wire after the Shockers took a 13-point lead midway through the second half.
However, Tulane finished the game on a 10-0 run, holding Wichita State scoreless for the final 3:38. The Green Wave forced 19 turnovers for the game, the most it has forced in a conference contest this season.
Jalen Cook, who finished with a game-high 23 points, was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and made all three free throws to give Tulane a one-point lead with 6.6 seconds left.
Hunter called for the 3-pointer during a timeout with 11.7 seconds left and his team down by two.
“I didn’t know how much we’d have in overtime,” Hunter said. “I told them to go for the win.”
The victory was assured when the Shockers’ last-second 3-point try was an airball.
The Green Wave are just 2-4 on the road this season, but both of the wins came in conference play — against Cincinnati and Wichita State.
–Field Level Media
