This game will burst someone’s NCAA Tournament bubble. Houston and Alabama-Birmingham, Conference USA’s No. 2 and No. 3 teams, will face-off in Birmingham, Alabama for a chance to be that second team out of C-USA to make the Big Dance.
The 19-5 Cougars (8-2 C-USA) find themselves in another must-win situation against a 17-8 Blazers team (7-3 C-USA) that, in their previous game, was one point away from upsetting conference leader and Associated Press Poll No. 1 ranked Memphis, the country’s only remaining undefeated team.
So, like Houston head coach Tom Penders said last game and the game before that, the Cougars have been preparing for their most important game of the season. He said his team has had this mindset for a while now, and it’s no coincidence.
"I’ve always approached February that way as a coach," Penders said. "Sometimes the players follow the coach. We know what we have to do to get to where we want to go."
Penders said his teams have generally peaked around this time of the season, and this year is no exception.
The Cougars are 8-2 in their last 10 games, all of which have been against Conference USA opponents. Houston’s only two losses in that time span have come from conference bully Memphis.
Junior guard DaShaun Williams has been a major part of Houston’s success, Penders said. The junior college transfer missed the first 10 games of the season, but has slowly worked his way up the depth chart and become the basis of Penders’ defensive scheme.
The addition of 6-foot, 11-inch junior center Marcus Cousin has also made a big difference.
"We had 10 games without DaShaun Williams," Penders said. "To me I think DaShaun Williams might be the best defensive player in the league.
"I think having a healthy DaShaun Williams and a healthy Marcus Cousin is really big for our ball club. I think [Williams] has been a real key to our defense. From behind the three-point line we’re only allowing opponents to hit 31 percent of their shots, and I think a lot of that has to do with him."
Penders believes Williams and the rest of the Cougars’ defense will have a test in stopping junior guard/forward Robert Vaden and UAB’s pro-style offense.
"I’d say 90 percent of the experts in preseason picked them ahead of us. They’ve got a lot of guys coming back from last year and a lot of newcomers.
Penders said Blazers coach Mike Davis has done well to find a system that fits his talent.
"They’ve got a good ball club. We’re an underdog in this game," Penders said.
