No. 21 BYU Basketball Hosts Defensive Power No. 4 Houston
Jan 22, 2024, 1:42 PM
BYU forward Jaxson Robinson pre-game against Iowa State in the Marriott Center (Courtesy of BYU Photo)
(Courtesy of BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – After suffering a tough road loss against Texas Tech, No. 21 BYU turns its attention to one of the conference’s best teams, the No. 4 Houston Cougars.
Houston is coming to the Marriott Center after putting together a defensive masterpiece against UCF. They held the Knights to 42 points.
On the offensive side of the ball, they are led by senior LJ Cryer. He’s averaging 15.2 points per game.
Texas Tech scored more points (53) against BYU in the second half compared to the entire offensive output from UCF against Houston.
BYU/Houston Series History
Houston leads the all-time series 5-3. The last meeting was a thrilling one for BYU when T.J. Haws hit a ridiculous fallaway jumper at the buzzer to secure the win.
Last time that I covered a UH-BYU game was November 2019. BYU’s T.J. Haws beat Houston at the buzzer. This was only my third game covering UH men’s basketball. pic.twitter.com/CGsMdkU9E1
— Andy Yanez (@AYanez_5) October 16, 2020
Things have changed drastically for Houston basketball since that last meeting in 2019.
Last season, Houston earned the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. They lost in the Sweet Sixteen to the Miami Hurricanes after winning 33 games.
Point guard Jamal Shead was named Big 12 conference player of the week for Houston after averaging over 19 points per game last week in wins against Texas Tech and UCF. He’s the first Houston player to win that award.
#⃣1⃣ had a week…
👏🏽 CONGRATS, @Thejshead! 👏🏽#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs
🔗 – https://t.co/jA4109134c pic.twitter.com/PKdN3QXHSt
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) January 22, 2024
Head coach Kelvin Sampson has installed one of the nation’s most suffocating defenses. The Cougar’s defense is number in scoring defense, scoring margin, and turnover margin.
It will be a massive challenge for BYU to get a win at home.
BYU vs. Houston: How To Watch, Listen
Location: Marriott Center
City: Provo, Utah
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (MT)/9 p.m. (ET)
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM )
What you need to know about BYU Basketball
- The Cougars went 1-1 last week with a ranked win over Iowa State, and a loss against Texas Tech.
- They slipped one spot in the AP poll from 20 to 21.
- BYU remains top three in the country in the following categories: assist-to-turnover ratio, assists per game, three-point makes per game, and scoring margin.
First time since the 1981 NCAA Tournament that #BYU is facing three consecutive Top 25 teams. #BYUHoops
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 22, 2024
- BYU has left at the half in 51 games under head coach Mark Pope. They are 49-2 in those games. Both losses have come against ranked teams (Gonzaga in 2021, Texas Tech in 2024)
- The average margin of defeat in four losses this season is 7.8 PPG.
- BYU’s ranking in the NET is 5th.
- BYU’s ranking in KenPom is 10th.
Personnel Notes for BYU Basketball
Noah Waterman will be a game-time decision after suffering a concussion against Iowa State. He returned to the game against the Cyclones but was unavailable against Texas Tech. Richie Saunders learned he was starting in his place two hours before tipoff.
Fousseyni Traore is also a game-time decision. He logged 12 minutes against the Red Raiders after not playing against Iowa State.
Trevin Knell remains a game-time decision after suffering a foot injury against UCF earlier in conference play. He played 17 minutes scoring six points against Texas Tech.
You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter @baiamontematt here.
Take us with you wherever you go.
