Although the Cougars (2-1) are coming off two consecutive wins, Tom Penders said his team wouldn’t fall into the trap of overlooking Alcorn State, a school from the Southwestern Atlantic Conference. Any other time, statements like that would be disregarded and put into the "coach jargon" pile, just beside the clich’eacute; bin.
Penders and his team, however, genuinely have reason to be concerned. Penders showed his team tape from the Braves’ 87-79 loss on Friday to South Alabama, a team that has made multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament in the last four years.
What players saw was a team that can put up points in a hurry thanks to a trio of lethal guards and an unconventional zone defense.
"All we had to do was show them the game tape from South Alabama and Alcorn," Penders said. "It was a 3-point game with a minute-and-a-half left. South Alabama hit a few quick shots to make it an 8-point game."
Looking for a method to explain just how offensively capable Alcorn State’s frontcourt is, Penders compared three of the players to Houston’s only two-time First Team All-Conference USA selection.
"They are one of the most explosive teams we will play all year," Penders said. "They’ve got three ‘Fluff’ McKivers out there, one at the point guard then at the two wings. They’ve got unlimited range."
In watching the film and looking at the statistics, the Cougars think they have found a weakness that can be exploited – the Braves only played six men deep in their highly contested South Alabama match.
If that is the extent of their bench, the Cougars will look to turn up the pressure on the defensive end of the ball. They will also make it a point to push the ball up the court following every rebound and forced turnover.
Freshman point guard Desmond Wade has been off the floor for a grand total of two minutes in Houston’s last two games.
Penders said he hasn’t been able to give him a break because he’s been a staple in running the team, and Wade is not likely to get any rest tonight, either.
"Desmond has been playing well. He’s going to go in and play hard and do what he’s been doing," Penders said. "He’s going to play defense and make it hard on the opposing point guard."
The Cougars face off against Alcorn State at 7 p.m. tonight at Hofheinz Pavilion. Admission to the game is free with a valid CougarOne card.
