The Houston Cougars played their worst game of the season on Sunday after a shaky effort against Memphis on Saturday. Houston fell to Cincinnati in the finals of the American Conference Tournament on Sunday, losing 69-57.
Still, they landed a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They will face Georgia State in the first round, and most likely No. 6 seed Iowa State in the second. The Cougars will play in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Despite the shaky weekend, the Cougars finished 31-3. Their best player, senior Corey Davis, is dealing with an injury. But if he is OK, they should at least make the Sweet 16. Anything less would be a disappointment.
The Cougars could theoretically get Kentucky in the Sweet 16 and North Carolina in the Elite 8. If they can run that gauntlet, they would make the Final Four.
Several other teams from Texas (and of interest to Houstonians) made the tournament as well:
Prairie View will play in the First Four after winning the SWAC. They face Farleigh Dickinson.
LSU is a three seed and will face Yale in the East Region.
Baylor is a nine seed and will face Syracuse in the West Region.
Texas Tech is a three seed in the West and will face Northern Kentucky.
Abilene Christian (27-6) faces No. 2 seed Kentucky (27-6).
The AAC got in UCF, Cincinnati and Temple in addition to UH. The Big 12 got six, but TCU and Texas failed to get in.
Coming off a disappointing loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, we examine what went wrong for the Texans, and how they can improve the team this offseason.
Once again the offensive line was the weak link on the team, and according to PFF had their worst performance of the season versus KC, posting a 44.9 pass blocking grade.
Right tackle Blake Fisher struggled the most, recording a 33.7 pass blocking grade. But it wasn't all on him, when he was given help from tight ends and running backs, it didn't make much of a difference. In some ways, attempting to chip pass rushers made things worse for Fisher. The help he was expecting didn't deliver, which caught him off guard.
Clearly the team missed tight end Cade Stover (broken collarbone), as Dalton Schultz was forced into more pass blocking situations where he failed repeatedly and looked like he had no interest in being physical.
Another area of concern was special teams. Kicker Kaimi Fairbairn was a big reason the Texans lost the game, shrinking in clutch situations and further proving he's a significantly worse kicker when he's not in the cozy temperature-controlled confines of NRG.
Considering the outlook in the AFC for the foreseeable future, trusting Fairbairn to perform in Buffalo, Baltimore, or Kansas City in January seems foolish.
But it's hard to believe Houston will move on from Fairbairn due to his contract. And the same goes for Schultz. One way the Texans can minimize Fairbairn's struggles would be to secure a bye in the playoffs next year, and avoid going on the road in the divisional round.
Looking for positives
Despite the loss, the Texans top players graded out well against KC, according to PFF.
Highest graded Texans
NIco Collins 85.5
CJ Stroud 85.3
Will Anderson 81.9
Danielle Hunter 80.8
Laremy Tunsil 75.9
Henry To'oTo'o 74.6
Final thoughts
Anyone with eyes knows that the Texans have to upgrade the offensive line next season. But next on the list has to be the receiving corps. At this point, you can't count on Tank Dell being healthy next season. Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III have been unable to get open in the NFL. So, should the team consider re-signing Stefon Diggs, who's also recovering from a serious knee injury and well into his thirties? That's a big no for me personally.
Hopefully the Texans prioritize youth and spend one of their first two picks on a receiver. A dynamic pass-catching tight end that can actually block should also be considered.
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap breaks it all down!