Written By: Ryan Musich
Saturday, February 18th marks the 2nd match up between #23 Southern Methodist University and the University of Houston, but this will be the 1st matchup at Hofheinz Pavilion where Houston is 12-3 on the season.
SMU is entering this game after knocking off #17 Cincinnati at home last Saturday, February 11, in pretty convincing fashion. SMU proved why they deserve to be in the top 25 as they held a very good Cincinnati team to only 34% from the field. Houston will have to make sure to contain SMU’s best players forward Semi Ojeleye and guard Shake Milton. Ojeleye was the Mustangs leading scorer against Cincinnati last Saturday scoring 18 points and going 3-5 from deep. Milton was also a huge contributor in that game by scoring 11 points and dishing the rock racking up 4 assists. The Mustangs have been on a roll recently winning 8 out of their last 9 games, but the Cougars will be looking to add another L to the Mustangs record.
Houston comes in winning 5 out of their last 6 games and just rolling through their opponents with ease. While SMU has their standout players, Houston has some of their own. The Cougars point guard Rob Gray is the leading scorer in the American Athletic Conference by averaging 20.5 PPG. Houston forward Damyean Dotson is the 4th leading scorer in the conference. These two have been a big part of the Coogs record in the conference. Last game, the Cougars hit 12 threes against Tulsa with a 44% clip. Gray went off, scoring 28 points and knocking down 6 three-pointers of his own. Dotson also put in work as he added 3 three-pointers and total of 24 points of his own.
In the last meeting between Houston and SMU, SMU got the better of the 2 teams by winning 85-64 at Moody Coliseum. Milton had a career-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and Ojeleye scored 20. SMU never trailed in their win. Dotson tied career highs with six 3-pointers and 25 points as Gray scored 16 for Houston. It was the most points allowed in a game this season by the Cougars, who came in allowing their opponents just 63 points per game.
Keys to the Game: For Saturday's game it is key for SMU to guard the three-point line, and don’t give Gray or Dotson any open looks from deep. As mentioned before, Dotson tied his career high in threes last time these teams played, but SMU held Gray to only 4-10 behind the three-point line. If SMU can hold those two players down, Houston will have a hard time finding another player to step up from behind the arc. It is for Houston to find some production inside the paint and also to limit SMU’s second chance points. SMU had 12 second chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds. That is unacceptable for a Houston team that has a lot of size in the paint. Also, the Coogs need to get production out of their big men in the paint. Houston's forward Danrad Knowles and center Kyle Meyer need to be more active on the offensive end. If these two teams can act on those keys in the game, it should be a good one at the house that Hakeem Olajuwon built.
Prediction: I predict that SMU wins this one 68-52. I believe this Mustang offense has too much firepower for Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson to stop.
SMU is entering this game after knocking off #17 Cincinnati at home last Saturday, February 11, in pretty convincing fashion. SMU proved why they deserve to be in the top 25 as they held a very good Cincinnati team to only 34% from the field. Houston will have to make sure to contain SMU’s best players forward Semi Ojeleye and guard Shake Milton. Ojeleye was the Mustangs leading scorer against Cincinnati last Saturday scoring 18 points and going 3-5 from deep. Milton was also a huge contributor in that game by scoring 11 points and dishing the rock racking up 4 assists. The Mustangs have been on a roll recently winning 8 out of their last 9 games, but the Cougars will be looking to add another L to the Mustangs record.
Houston comes in winning 5 out of their last 6 games and just rolling through their opponents with ease. While SMU has their standout players, Houston has some of their own. The Cougars point guard Rob Gray is the leading scorer in the American Athletic Conference by averaging 20.5 PPG. Houston forward Damyean Dotson is the 4th leading scorer in the conference. These two have been a big part of the Coogs record in the conference. Last game, the Cougars hit 12 threes against Tulsa with a 44% clip. Gray went off, scoring 28 points and knocking down 6 three-pointers of his own. Dotson also put in work as he added 3 three-pointers and total of 24 points of his own.
In the last meeting between Houston and SMU, SMU got the better of the 2 teams by winning 85-64 at Moody Coliseum. Milton had a career-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and Ojeleye scored 20. SMU never trailed in their win. Dotson tied career highs with six 3-pointers and 25 points as Gray scored 16 for Houston. It was the most points allowed in a game this season by the Cougars, who came in allowing their opponents just 63 points per game.
Keys to the Game: For Saturday's game it is key for SMU to guard the three-point line, and don’t give Gray or Dotson any open looks from deep. As mentioned before, Dotson tied his career high in threes last time these teams played, but SMU held Gray to only 4-10 behind the three-point line. If SMU can hold those two players down, Houston will have a hard time finding another player to step up from behind the arc. It is for Houston to find some production inside the paint and also to limit SMU’s second chance points. SMU had 12 second chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds. That is unacceptable for a Houston team that has a lot of size in the paint. Also, the Coogs need to get production out of their big men in the paint. Houston's forward Danrad Knowles and center Kyle Meyer need to be more active on the offensive end. If these two teams can act on those keys in the game, it should be a good one at the house that Hakeem Olajuwon built.
Prediction: I predict that SMU wins this one 68-52. I believe this Mustang offense has too much firepower for Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson to stop.