Houston suffered its second loss of the season Saturday against UCF, and there were a few key areas where the Cougars struggled and allowed the Knights to take over the game.
Zero
Senior center Tacko Fall had no blocks in the game but still cut Houston’s playbook in half, and he kept the team out of the paint when he was on the court.
One
The home loss was the first in almost two years, ending the Cougars’ 33-game home winning streak. Houston’s last loss at home was March 15 against Akron.
Two
The Cougars lost the rebounding battle 35 to 33, which is an anomaly for the team. Houston has out-rebounded opponents by an average of eight per game this season.
Three
Houston had just three second chance points after offensive rebounds. The Cougars had nine in its previous win over UCF and 15 in the game before Saturday against ECU.
Four
The Knights had four players that scored in the double digits, and the team spread the ball around well to move around the Cougars’ defense.
Five
Houston made just 50 percent of its free throws, but the team averaged 72 percent before the game. Central Florida made 75 percent compared to its usual 64 percent. If both teams had shot the average and all else stayed constant, Houston would have won 70-66.