Arizona Basketball prepares for Houston in Sweet 16 showdown

After surviving against TCU, Arizona Basketball (33-3, 18-2) faces a huge challenge as they take on the Houston Cougars (31-5, 15-3) in the Sweet 16. 

The NCAA Tournament action is rolling right along, and after hanging on to beat 9th seeded TCU in overtime, Arizona Basketball will have an even bigger challenge on Thursday evening when they take on Houston.

Coming in, the Wildcats are considered the slight favorites here, having rattled off eight-straight wins; however, Houston is also playing well, and are the medias’ pick to potentially score the upset.

The Cougars are a well-coached team and are one of the best defensive teams in the country for a reason. To make matters worse, the Wildcats have not played to their potential, and may still have an ailing Kerr Kriisa.

Hopefully, we see an improved version of the Wildcats that we saw on Friday and Sunday evening. Overall, they are going to need a better performance if they are to continue their winning ways and live to see another day!

Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Houston Cougars.

Team: Houston Cougars

Conference: American Athletic Conference

2020-21 Record: Finishing the year with a 12–14 (5–11) record in 2020-21, the Horned Frogs finished in 8th place in the conference, falling to Kansas State in the conference tournament to end the season, missing the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach: Kelvin Sampson enters his 8th season with the Cougars, having compiled a 198–69 (100–43) record so far. However, Kelvin has been coaching at this level for quite some time as he is currently in his 33rd season overall.

Sampson has also made previous stints with Montana Tech (1981–85) where he compiled a 73–45 (33–27) record. He also made stops at Washington State (1987–94), Oklahoma (1994–06), and Indiana (2006–08). Kelvin has a 697–340 record overall as a head coach.

Keys to the Game:

REBOUND!!! – Simply put, Arizona was not good on the glass against TCU, allowing the Horned Frogs to out-rebound them 48-44, including 20-14 on the offensive glass.

Against Houston, the Wildcats are going to need to have better results if they are going to win. Should Arizona have a repeat performance like they did against TCU, and this would be a tough one to win.

Attack the Paint – The Wildcats have the size advantage down low, and with Houston being a good perimeter defensive team, this is an area I would love to see Arizona take advantage of.

Christian Koloko had a big day against TCU, and given Houston’s strengths along the perimeter, look for him to potentially have another big day.

If Arizona can attack the paint and find consistency there, I like their chances of winning in this one.

Take Care of the Basketball – In their first two games, Arizona has not done a particularly great job in protecting and taking care of the basketball.

And against a Houston team that averages 8.2 steals and forces 14.4 turnovers per game, naturally, this should be a point of emphasis yet again.

Hopefully, a healthier Kerr Kriisa will help alleviate that somewhat, nonetheless, the Wildcats are going to have to take care of the ball if they are going to win.

Arizona Basketball versus the Houston Cougars game information and details:

Date: Thursday, March 24, 2022

Time: 6:40 P.M. (Arizona Time)

Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas (19,217)

Spread: -1.5 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your overall betting experience)

Television: TBS

Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) / 1290AM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network

Team Records:

No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (33-3, 18-2): Fresh off a tough, overtime win over TCU on Sunday evening, Arizona returns to action to take on a very talented Houston team in what should be another epic showdown. We will see if the Cats have what it takes to advance.

No. 5 Houston Cougars (31-5, 15-3): Taking on No. 1 seeded Arizona, Houston looks to score the upset, especially after throttling Illinois to advance. The only thing standing in the way of the Cougars is a Wildcat team that has yet to play up to its potential.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has faced Houston 11 times, with this series being pretty evenly matched. The Wildcats currently own a 6-5 advantage, having also won the last three straight.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Cougars was in Tucson during the 2008-09 season. That was the game in which Chase Budinger was stepped on and Arizona rallied to beat Houston 96-90.

My Prediction: Arizona 85 Houston 79 – This one is also going to be a battle! Houston is like a better version of TCU, and this is a team with great athleticism and length. They can score well and rebound well.

On the flip side of that, Arizona has not played to its potential yet. This is a game in which I think Arizona responds and can escape with yet another win.