Houston’s defense has kicked it into another gear over the last few games, which has been a big reason why the Cougars are riding a four-game winning streak heading into their toughest test of the season to this point against Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon.
“Our defense was outstanding,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said following Wednesday night’s win against the Mavericks. “We held that team to 28 percent. Our rebounding was outstanding. We outrebounded them by 18.”
The Cougars held the Mavericks to only 63 points, which now makes four games in a row where Houston has held their opponents to at least 73 points or fewer.
Houston is undefeated in those contests, and they have won each game by eight points or more.
Much like the head coach, the players on the team prioritize getting better on defense even when they have strong individual offensive performances.
“Trying to focus more on defense,” said sophomore guard Nate Hinton when responding to a question about his offensive success against UT- Arlington. “If I come to the game thinking about offense then it isn’t going to be good. I try to focus on defense and rebounding and being the leader of the team.”
No matter who the opponents are for Houston, the preparation going into the games remains the same and that is with the focal point on the defense.
“We just to keep the same mindset that we have been going into each game and trying to get our defense better,” said junior forward Fabian White Jr.