Two teams in Conference USA have been able to outplay the Cougars when they run a starting lineup that features Aubrey Coleman as its go-to-guy.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who keeps up with college basketball that the Associated Press No. 8 Memphis Tigers, yes the same Memphis team that has won 50 consecutive games against C-USA opponents, was the last team to outplay the Cougars with Coleman on the court.
Then there was the Southern Miss blunder. The game in which the Cougars seemed to only have suited up three players – Coleman and guards Kelvin Lewis and DaShaun Williams. The guard combination scored 60 of Houston’s points in the unexpected 83-76 loss to the Golden Eagles on Jan. 17.
Houston (14-7, 5-3 C-USA) will face a Southern Methodist (7-14, 1-7 C-USA) squad at 7 p.m. tonight at Moody Coliseum that should by all means be another outlet for Houston’s athletic slasher to assert his on-the-court dominance.
Statistically, it could be argued that Coleman has been the best player in the country since the Cougars have entered Conference play. In C-USA games, the guard has averaged 27.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Cougars.
To put it in perspective, sure-fire NBA Draft Lottery pick Stephen Curry is putting up 28.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest for Davidson. Meanwhile, the freakishly athletic, and probable No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, Blake Griffin is averaging 22.2 points, 14 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
If Coleman continues to put up his usually stellar numbers, and players like Lewis, Desmond Wade and center Marcus Cousin keep providing the support needed to keep the team’s foundation steady, the Cougars will continue to tack on to their two-game winning streak.
Four of Houston’s starters are averaging double-digits in scoring, and UH head coach Tom Penders’ recent strategy of bringing his pure point guard dynamo, Wade, off the bench for guard Zamal Nixon looks to have paid dividends.
Wade has provided a defensive spark that hinges on his ability to play a harassing style of on-ball defense and force turnovers. Considering how much of the Cougars’ flow depends on turnovers and transition offense, there is no doubt Houston’s defensive specialist and assists leader (4.3 per game) will have a say in tonight’s outcome.
Immobilizing SMU guards Paul McCoy and Derek Williams will be one of Penders’ priorities. Deploying Wade and fellow shut-down defender Lewis to disrupt the Mustangs’ offense could tip the game in Houston’s favor.
The Cougars cannot afford to drop any of their contests in the month of February because of their rough stretch in the final three weeks of January, in which they lost four out of five games.