The UH men’s basketball team has been choking away late leads, and now must attempt to dig themselves out of a five-game losing streak.
Chances are head coach James Dickey is using the F word profusely — that is, fundamentals.
The Cougars tend to stay competitive with their offense, but are not doing enough to seal wins.
The largest margin of victory during the streak has been eight points.
In four of the five losses, the Cougars could have won if they had made just a few more shots at the free-throw line, especially in some games: the 10 missed free throws in Tulsa’s 76-71 win, or 11 clanked free shots in Marshall’s one-point victory.
UH has been getting outhustled defensively, and allowing too many second-chance opportunities that are far too often converted into points.
The Cougars once looked like a contender, and were tied for first place in a conference that is still ripe for the taking.
Now they have dropped to 11-11 overall, tying them for ninth in Conference USA at 3-6.
If UH wants any chance of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, they will need to clinch an automatic bid by making a repeat performance of last season’s four wins in four days at the C-USA Championship.
If effort and heart were measured as a statistic, UH would be near the top of the NCAA; unfortunately, no one likes moral victories.
The Cougars’ matchup Saturday with Tulane (12-9, 2-6) will go down to the wire, but if they focus on fundamentals and avoid the momentary mental lapses, the streak will end.
