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Houston Basketball: Cougars face tough road if want to compete in March

By Andrew Nostvick

Jan 24, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Tulane Green Wave guard Colin Slater (14) shoots the ball as Houston Cougars forward Bertrand Nkali (13) defends during the first half at Hofheinz Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Tulane Green Wave guard Colin Slater (14) shoots the ball as Houston Cougars forward Bertrand Nkali (13) defends during the first half at Hofheinz Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston basketball’s win over Tulane snapped a three-game losing skid, but the Cougars need wins against top-tier AAC teams.

Houston’s win against Tulane on Tuesday evening certainly helped the Cougars put the brakes on a three-game losing skid. However, you don’t get into the NCAA Tournament by beating 4-16 teams.

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Kelvin Sampson’s team has work to do if they want to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Houston’s win Tuesday night got the Cougars back over the .500 (5-4) mark in AAC play. The bad news for the Cougars, though, is that they are sixth in the AAC standings. The top five teams in the conference sit at least two games ahead of the Cougars, including the third and fourth place teams, Memphis and UCF.

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All four losses for Houston have come against four of the current top five teams in the standings. The lone win came against Tulsa in early January.The Cougars navigated their way through non-conference play by going 9-3. Two of those losses came against SEC schools, LSU and Arkansas.

The Cougars navigated their way through non-conference play by going 9-3. Two of those losses came against SEC schools, LSU and Arkansas.However, a home loss to Harvard on December 23rd could diminish their chances of reaching March’s grand event.

The Cougars need to rely on their scoring to help them out over this next stretch.

Houston benefits from having two of the top six scorers in the conference, including leading bucket getter Rob Gray Jr.

Gray averages 20.2 points per game and had 12 points in Tuesday’s win over Tulane. During the three-game losing streak, Gray averaged 21.6 points per game, including a 28-point performance against UCF.

The other scorer Houston has relied on is Damyean Dotson, who averages 15.3 points per game and had 20 in the win against Tulane. Houston needs others to step up, including Danrad Knowles and Wes Vanbeck. Both players are third and fourth on the team in scoring.

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The Cougars will get Temple on Saturday as they hope the win on Tuesday will be the spark they need moving forward. Houston will get another shot at each of the top five teams in the conference. Next Wednesday, they have a rematch with UCF in Hofheinz Pavilion.