The Houston Cougar men's basketball team heads out west to take on the ever-talented Wildcats of Arizona on Saturday.
With the loss of Jerryd Bayless to the NBA, and coach Lute Olson to retirement, Arizona has seen some setbacks this year. They head into the game with an 11-8 record, but have lost three straight, and are winless in six games on the road. The bad news for the Cougars is that U of A is 11-2 at home, and this one's at their place.
If you think that the Cougars don't get production from enough sources, you're going to be shocked by the Wildcats' lack of depth. Only four players are significant contributors for Arizona:
-Jordan Hill, Junior Forward: Easily the scariest player for Arizona. He has scored in the double-digits in every game he's played in except one (he scored 9 in that contest) and averages 11.6 rebounds per contest. Although his field goal percentage has dipped for the third straight season, he still shoots 54% from the floor. The good news: he can be foul-prone, having picked up at least three fouls in 13 of the 18 games he's appeared in. The bad news: he hasn't fouled out of any game, and he's averaging 34 minutes a game. The worse news: the Cougars have made big men look really good this year. Craig Brackins (admittedly a very good player) single-handedly destroyed us, and even Kareem Cooper looked like Shaq against our post defense. And Hill is better than either of them. Unless the Coogs have figured out a way to play post defense since the UTEP game, Hill's going to make it a long night for UH.
-Chase Budinger, Junior Forward: A third-year starter, Head Coach Tom Penders mentioned only half-jokingly at the Coaches Show on Thursday that he wished that Chase Budinger had gone pro after last season. (Budinger had been projected as a late-first round pick.) Budinger features a silky-smooth jump shot (43% from long range), and the ability to take it to the hoop. If Aubrey Coleman can hold him under 20 points, I will be happy.
-Nic Wise, Junior Guard: Wise patrols the point, and is averaging 12.6 points with nearly 5 assists per contest. His scoring production has dipped lately, although his ball distribution has remained steady. He's a streak shooter who has been cold lately, but if the Cougars focus too strongly on Budinger, he'll light us up. I trust that the solid defensive guard play of UH won't allow that to happen.
-Jamelle Horne, Sophomore Forward: The 'Cats only have one true post in Hill, a couple of big-ish wings in Budinger and Horne, and a backcourt that features Wise at the point, and a by-committee approach to the other starting spot. I'd expect to see Coleman on Budinger, so it will likely fall to Qa'rraan Calhoun to contain Horne, who has had some big games this year, but has scored just 20 total points in the last four contests. Like Wise, Horne can be a scoring threat if he gets heated up, but I'd be much more worried about Hill and Budinger.
The Cougars Win If...Marcus Cousin plays one of his best defensive games of the year, keeps Jordan Hill to around his season averages on points and rebounds, and nobody else for Arizona has a huge game and torches us. The Cougars have an edge in free throws and lose the rebound margin by 6 or less.
The Cougars Lose If...Hill goes crazy, scores 30 and grabs 15 rebounds, and the Cougars are so focused on him that players like Hill and Horne can have big games, too. The Cougars don't do a good enough job of getting to the line or keeping Hill and the Wildcats off the offensive boards.
So how about it, Cougar fans? How's it gonna turn out?
