LOVIE TIPPING HIS HAND?

9 important Houston Texans takeaways from Lovie Smith's Combine presser

Texans head coach Lovie Smith spoke at the NFL Combine on Wednesday, and discussed the defense, Davis Mills, the Deshaun Watson situation, and much more. Be sure to check out the video above to watch the entire press conference. Here are my quick takeaways from Lovie's comments.

1. When asked about Davis Mills, Smith said starting jobs aren't given out in the offseason. But he also talked about Mills' intelligence, and how he played as well as most of the rookie QBs last season. He also thought it was important to bring back Pep Hamilton, so he can continue to work with Mills.

2. Lovie shared some thoughts on this year's draft class, and he sees a lot of talent on the defensive line. He said that the Texans have a "defensive line-friendly system," and if he was a defensive end, he would want to play in the Texans scheme. Defensive line is considered one of the strengths of this year's draft class, so don't be surprised if the Texans draft a pass rusher if they stay at No. 3 overall. Lovie discussed pass rush and defensive ends in his scheme quite a bit. You have to wonder if improving the pass rush is his top priority. He might be tipping his hand here, or it could be another smoke screen. He did say the Texans might take a QB at No. 3 overall last week, when we know that's not likely. Smith just wants other teams to believe they might draft a QB for leverage.

3. Don't shut the door on safety Justin Reid returning to the Texans. Smith called Reid an "outstanding player" and said the team would be pretty happy if they were able to retain him. Smith went on to say Reid is a detail guy that fits their profile.

4. Lovie also spoke about the traits he looks for in a cornerback. Smith said a corner that's 6' tall and can run faster than most people, is important. He values ball skills and being a willing tackler.

5. There are several benefits of having Lovie as head coach this year. He spoke about his knowledge of the roster, the division, and how the Texans organization works. These are some things a coach being hired from outside the organization would not possess.

6. Tight end was a big topic of conversation again today. Smith spoke about the tight end position being a big part of what they want to do on offense. With only Brevin Jordan under contract, the Texans will look to add to the position. He doesn't consider Jordan to be an "ideal" in-line Y tight end, so look for them to address that position because he believes in multiple tight ends, and they view Jordan as more of a pass catcher. He also said the Texans want to be able to run the ball.

7. Of course, Lovie was asked about Deshaun Watson. Here's what he had to say. "Time kind of takes care of everything. I know Deshaun is an excellent football player. Excellent football players need to be playing somewhere in the NFL. Hopefully, that will happen and if it's not with us, somewhere else. As I see the situation, both of us are eventually gonna benefit from this situation. I just can't wait for that to speed up a little bit." Smith also mentioned he's a patient man.

8. Lovie Smith seems open to bringing back some players. He mentioned Maliek Collins, Christian Kirksey, and Kamu Grugier-Hill specifically.

9. Smith considers the NFL Combine to be important. Seems like an obvious statement, but this year the Rams GM and Head Coach decided not to attend the Combine. Smith also explained that his college coaching experience will come in handy because he recruited a lot of the prospects in this year's draft class.

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The Coogs are back in action Friday night. Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images.

Sixteen may be sweet, but it isn’t the only relevant number as the NCAA Tournament heads into the regional semifinals.

Here are some other numbers worth knowing for each team. These statistics will help you learn more about each of the remaining teams and could explain how some of them got this far.

EAST REGION

UCONN: In UConn’s second-round victory over Northwestern, Donovan Clingan became just the third player in tournament history to get 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in a game. The others to do it were Hakeem Olajuwon for Houston in 1983 and David Robinson for Navy in 1986. The blocks also were the most ever by a UConn player in a tournament game.

SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs’ Sweet 16 matchup with defending national champion UConn will mark the fourth time that two teams have faced each other in the tournament a year after meeting in the final. The losing team from the championship won the rematch in one of the three previous instances, when Duke beat UNLV in a 1991 semifinal. Cincinnati won two straight championship games over Ohio State in 1961-62. Florida beat UCLA in the 2006 championship game and in a 2007 semifinal.

ILLINOIS: Illinois has won six in a row, and Terrence Shannon Jr. has scored at least 25 points in each of those games. The 6-foot-6 guard has averaged 30.5 points and has shot 52.8% (56 of 106) from the floor during that stretch. He also shown an uncanny knack for drawing fouls during the streak. Over his last five games, Shannon has gone 51 of 58 on free-throw attempts.

IOWA STATE: Iowa State is allowing just 61.2 points per game to rank fourth among all Division I teams in scoring defense. Since falling 73-65 to Houston on Feb. 19, the Cyclones haven’t allowed any of their last 10 opponents to exceed 65 points. The Cyclones next face Illinois, which ranks ninth in points per game (84.6) and has averaged 91.3 points over its last four contests.

WEST REGION

ALABAMA: Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada were the first set of Division I teammates since 1996-97 to both have at least 410 points, 125 assists, 120 rebounds, 50 3-point baskets and 40 steals during the regular season. Sears is averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. Estrada has 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

NORTH CAROLINA: Armando Bacot had seven straight tournament double-doubles and six consecutive tourney games with at least 15 rebounds before he ended up with 18 points and seven boards in a second-round victory over Michigan State. His seven straight NCAA double-doubles matched Tim Duncan and Olajuwon for the NCAA record.

ARIZONA: Arizona’s first-round triumph over Long Beach State marked the 19th time this season the Wildcats had five different players score in double figures. No other Division I team had that many games this season in which five different players had at least 10 points.

CLEMSON: Each of Clemson’s first two tournament opponents has shot below 40% against the Tigers. Clemson won its first-round game by limiting New Mexico to 29.7% shooting, the lowest percentage the Tigers had ever allowed in an NCAA tourney game. Clemson now faces Arizona, which shot 52.8% in its second-round victory over Dayton.

MIDWEST REGION

CREIGHTON: Baylor Scheierman is the first Division I men’s player in history to have at least 2,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 3-point baskets. Scheierman, who is in his second season at Creighton after playing three seasons at South Dakota State, has 2,208 points, 1,250 rebounds, 578 assists and 352 3-pointers.

TENNESSEE: Tennessee is making its 10th Sweet 16 appearance – including its seventh in the last 18 years – but the Volunteers have never reached the Final Four and earned their lone regional final berth in 2010.

GONZAGA: Gonzaga is in the Sweet 16 for the ninth straight time, the longest active streak of any Division I team. Going back to 1975 – the first year that all teams had to win at least one game to reach the Sweet 16 – the record for consecutive Sweet 16 appearances is owned by North Carolina with 13 straight from 1981-93.

PURDUE: Zach Edey is the first player since Kareen Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) in 1968 to have at least 50 points and 35 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field in his first two games of an NCAA Tournament. Edey has shot 67.9% (19 of 28) and has totaled 53 points and 35 rebounds in victories over Grambling State and Utah State.

SOUTH REGION

DUKE: Jared McCain has gone 10 of 17 from 3-point range through the first two rounds. In the Blue Devils’ second-round blowout of James Madison, McCain became the first freshman to score at least 30 points without committing a turnover in an NCAA Tournament game since the event expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

HOUSTON: The Cougars showcased their depth by surviving a second-round matchup with Texas A&M in overtime even after four of their five starters fouled out. They became the first team to win an NCAA game while having at least four players foul out since 1987, when UTEP overcame foul trouble to beat Arizona.

MARQUETTE: Marquette owns a 75-29 record under coach Shaka Smart despite posting a negative rebound margin in each of his three seasons. The Golden Eagles have been outrebounded in each of their last eight games but have gone 5-3. They’re getting outrebounded by 3 boards per game this season. The only other Sweet 16 team with a negative rebound margin is North Carolina State (minus-0.8), which faces Marquette on Friday.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE: Mohamed Diarra has 6.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, but he’s averaged 11.7 points and 13.5 rebounds over his last six. Michael O’Connell scored in double digits three times and totaled 14 3-point baskets in 31 regular-season games. He’s reached double figures in six of seven postseason games and has gone 12 of 22 from 3-point range during that stretch.

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