Men's Basketball Sports

UH-Syracuse rundown: A look at the Orange ahead of the Sweet 16

Quentin Grimes (24) of the UH Cougars, who take on Syracuse on Saturday in the Sweet Sixteen, ahead of the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament against Cleveland State Vikings held at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on March 19, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. | Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Quentin Grimes (24) of the UH Cougars, who take on Syracuse on Saturday in the Sweet Sixteen, ahead of the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament against Cleveland State Vikings held at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on March 19, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. | Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The Houston men’s basketball team will compete in the Sweet Sixteen when it takes on Syracuse on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Cougars (26-3) are coming off an impressive rally in their second-round game against Rutgers last Sunday.

UH trailed by nine points nearing the four-minute mark of the game before finishing on a 14-2 run, which included scoring the final seven points in the contest to survive and advance. 

Junior guard Quentin Grimes finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, and senior guard DeJon Jarreau led the team both with his play and leadership as he battled through the pain of a hip pointer he suffered in UH’s first-round game against Cleveland State.

Jarreau ended the game with 17 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Tramon Mark, who finished with eight points and six rebounds, had the most crucial board in the closing seconds as he tipped in the game-tying shot, while also getting fouled, which led to the go-ahead free throw.

A look at the Orange

No. 11 seed Syracuse (18-9) is coming off a three-point victory over No. 3 seed West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Orange were led by junior guard Buddy Boeheim, who scored 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the 3-point line. During the first two games of the NCAA Tournament, Boeheim has gone 13-of-23 on 3-point shots.

 “He’s… an elite shooter,” Grimes said. “We got to know where he is at all times. We got to make sure he can’t even catch the ball really. We got to make sure he’s putting the ball on the ground. Can’t let him catch and shoot.”

On the season, Boeheim led with 18 points per game, sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier averaged 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. Junior forward Alan Griffin averaged 13.7 points and six rebounds per matchup.

Heading into the game, UH is preparing for a physical contest that could ultimately be decided by the battle on the boards due to Syracuse and its signature zone defense.

“You’re going to settle for long threes a lot,” UH head coach Kelvin Sampson said earlier in the week. “That doesn’t mean you’re not running your offense. It might be the only shot you get that possession. You’re not going to scheme up a perfect offense (for the whole game).”

Throughout the week, UH has emphasized that it will need to excel in crashing the glass, cashing in on fast-break opportunities, and converting on points off turnovers.

“Credit to Syracuse and that zone, but we’re not going to win on the first shot. We have to win with the unscripted battles,” senior forward Justin Gorham said.

Jarreau’s status

The full week of rest has been a blessing in disguise for the 6-foot-5-inch New Orleans native to heal up his hip injury.

On Thursday, Jarreau talked more about the pain he had to push through in last Sunday’s game. He also added that he has been able to take advantage of a few days off during practice. When asked to put a percentage on his hip, Jarreau said he is at around 70 to 75 percent.

“I’m not trying to really worry about it as much,” Jarreau said. “I’m just trying to play through it as much as possible. It don’t really hurt as much as it did in the Rutgers game … I don’t really worry about it, and I don’t think it will be a big factor come Saturday.”

How to watch

Saturday’s matchup between UH and Syracuse will tip-off at 8:55 CT and be shown on TBS and will also air on KPRC 950 AM radio. 

For more on The Cougar’s coverage of UH’s run in the NCAA Tournament, click here.

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