The Coogs face UAB on Friday. Photo by David Becker/Getty Images.
After defeating Memphis on Sunday to win a second consecutive American Athletic Conference championship title, the Houston Cougars earned their fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament as a 5 seed.
The first team they will matchup with is UAB, who won their conference tournament as well.
The No. 12 seed Blazers are led by second-year head coach Andy Kennedy and Conference USA Player of the Year Jordan Walker (20.4 points per game) who made the second most 3-pointers (115) in Division 1 this season.
UAB ranked sixth in the nation in points per game (80.7), and outrebounded their opponents in the majority of their contests as well.
To counter this explosive offense, Houston boasts one of the nation’s best defenses, with guys like Taze Moore and Kyler Edwards securing the perimeter and Josh Carlton locking down opponents in the paint.
Fabian White Jr. and Jamal Shed are no slouches when it comes to guarding opposing players as well, giving the Cougars one of the most dominate defensive starting lineups in college basketball.
Houston on average allowed 58.9 points per game and held opponents to a 43.5 field goal percentage this season, fourth-fewest among Division I teams.
The keys to a Cougar’s victory will be their ability to limit UAB’s offensive possessions, opportunities and contain their aforementioned leading scorer Walker.
The Blazers’ offense runs almost exclusively through the junior guard’s hands when he is on the court. So much so that UAB is undefeated when he scores more than 23 points in a game.
With the exception of their loss against Wisconsin earlier this season in which Johnny Davis scored 30 points, Houston’s defense has done a good job at limiting guards from having breakout performances.
Head coach Kelvin Sampson will have Moore, Edwards and Shed most likely share defensive responsibilities on UAB's Walker to try and limit his offensive production.
On paper, the Cougars are the better team defensively and have an underrated offense that can compete with any team in the country.
Although from a numbers perspective both teams may have similar stats across the board, Houston has far more experience playing in big games which will benefit them throughout the dance.
Coach Sampson has taken the Cougars to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and has built a winning culture here at the University of Houston that his players showcase game after game.
This team went from a mindset of grateful to make the tournament a few years ago to now expecting to go far in the dance year in and year out. That's what a good coach and a culture change can do to a program.
As it currently stands, Houston is an 8.5 point favorite to win this game and has proven they can make a deep run.
As long as Houston doesn’t overlook UAB and can play their elite level of defense consistently, they should advance to the round of 32 to face either Illinois or Chattanooga.
Houston and UAB will tip off on Friday at 8:20 CT.
The game will air on TNT and will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
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No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The winner of the Clemson-Texas first-round game on Dec. 21 will play No. 10 Arizona State in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl in Atlanta in the CFP quarterfinals.
For Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is from Austin, Texas, the game will be a homecoming.
“We recruited him hard," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Sunday, calling Klubnik “a winner. He will do whatever it takes to put his team in position to be successful.”
Added Sarkisian: “When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly I wasn’t surprised. Both his parents went to (Texas) A&M.”
Klubnik applauded the announcement of the game at Texas for Clemson's seventh CFP appearance.
“For him to be going to his first playoff in Austin, Texas, where he grew up, you can’t make that up,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Pretty cool opportunity for him and his family to go compete against Texas there in Austin.”
Swinney said his only visit to the Texas stadium was to watch Klubnik play in a high school playoff game.
“We’ve never played Texas or played in that stadium,” Swinney said. “... It’s going to be amazing. It’s one of the best venues in college football.”
The Longhorns (11-2) were seeded No. 5 in the CFP following their 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.
Sarkisian said his players were “really excited” to see Texas land the No. 5 seed and have the opportunity to play in the Longhorns' first game against Clemson.
Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is a Clemson transfer. Sarkisian said players already were calling the matchup the “Mukuba Bowl.”
Swinney said: “I love Mukuba. I just love his spirit and love his heart. He was a really neat kid.
“I certainly wish he had been able to finish here. He did everything that was asked of him at Clemson. Made a bunch of big plays.”
Clemson (10-3) beat SMU 34-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night to land an automatic CFP berth. The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the CFP but were given the 12th and lowest seed. As the fifth-highest ranked league champion, the Tigers do not get a bye and instead must visit Texas.
Arizona State (11-2) earned a bye by rolling over Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. The Sun Devils were led by running back Cam Skattebo's 170 rushing yards in their impressive win to cap their first season in the Big 12.
Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan noted the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12.
“You proved them all wrong,” Stokan told Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.
Arizona State players celebrated the announcement of their No. 4 seed.
Dillingham said he hopes the conference championship and berth in the CFP helps him recruit and continue to build the program.
“Hopefully this stage will help get our branding out there, and show people that we can be one of the newer brands in college football," Dillingham said. "Every 10-15 years a new brand shows up, and a new brand becomes a national brand.”No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The winner of the Clemson-Texas first-round game on Dec. 21 will play No. 10 Arizona State in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl in Atlanta in the CFP quarterfinals.
For Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is from Austin, Texas, the game will be a homecoming.
“We recruited him hard," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Sunday, calling Klubnik “a winner. He will do whatever it takes to put his team in position to be successful.”
Added Sarkisian: “When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly I wasn’t surprised. Both his parents went to (Texas) A&M.”
Klubnik applauded the announcement of the game at Texas for Clemson's seventh CFP appearance.
“For him to be going to his first playoff in Austin, Texas, where he grew up, you can’t make that up,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Pretty cool opportunity for him and his family to go compete against Texas there in Austin.”
Swinney said his only visit to the Texas stadium was to watch Klubnik play in a high school playoff game.
“We’ve never played Texas or played in that stadium,” Swinney said. “... It’s going to be amazing. It’s one of the best venues in college football.”
The Longhorns (11-2) were seeded No. 5 in the CFP following their 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.
Sarkisian said his players were “really excited” to see Texas land the No. 5 seed and have the opportunity to play in the Longhorns' first game against Clemson.
Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is a Clemson transfer. Sarkisian said players already were calling the matchup the “Mukuba Bowl.”
Swinney said: “I love Mukuba. I just love his spirit and love his heart. He was a really neat kid.
“I certainly wish he had been able to finish here. He did everything that was asked of him at Clemson. Made a bunch of big plays.”
Clemson (10-3) beat SMU 34-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night to land an automatic CFP berth. The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the CFP but were given the 12th and lowest seed. As the fifth-highest ranked league champion, the Tigers do not get a bye and instead must visit Texas.
Arizona State (11-2) earned a bye by rolling over Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. The Sun Devils were led by running back Cam Skattebo's 170 rushing yards in their impressive win to cap their first season in the Big 12.
Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan noted the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12.
“You proved them all wrong,” Stokan told Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.
Arizona State players celebrated the announcement of their No. 4 seed.
Dillingham said he hopes the conference championship and berth in the CFP helps him recruit and continue to build the program.
“Hopefully this stage will help get our branding out there, and show people that we can be one of the newer brands in college football," Dillingham said. "Every 10-15 years a new brand shows up, and a new brand becomes a national brand.”