Houston Basketball: 3 keys for the game against LSU

WICHITA, KS - MARCH 17: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars talks with the team as they take on the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Bank Arena on March 17, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. The Michigan Wolverines won 64-63 with a 3-point buzzer beater. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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WICHITA, KS – MARCH 15: Armoni Brooks #3 of the Houston Cougars reacts against the San Diego State Aztecs during the first half of the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

The No. 24 Houston Cougars host LSU on Wednesday. Here are the three biggest keys to Houston remaining unbeaten.

TV Schedule: Wednesday, December 12, 9:00p.m. ET, ESPN2

Arena: Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas

On Wednesday night the 8-0 Houston Cougars play host to the LSU Tigers at the Fertitta Center. Coming off a season where the Cougars came within a Jordan Poole heave away from knocking off a Michigan team that went on to play for national championship and losing their best player, one could see how the beginning of the season could be a question mark for Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars both on the floor and in their heads.

While the 8-0 record may look gaudy, Houston’s strength of schedule is currently ranked 350th out of 353 teams in Division I. That doesn’t mean the schedule has been void of challenges, they have had a couple. They went to Provo, Utah and beat a good BYU team and knocked off No. 18 Oregon by four. The wins have been emphatic, besides the win over Oregon and a five-point victory over UT- Rio Grand Valley, the Cougars have beat all other comers by at least 10 points. LSU poses the biggest test for the Cougars outside of Oregon and is their last chance to show that their record is more than just a product of poor opponents.

The two teams have one common opponent so far, the Oklahoma State Cowboys. In their last game, Houston beat Oklahoma State on the road by 12 and just after Thanksgiving the Tigers lost to the same Cowboys team by 13 as a part of the Advocare Invitational.

For Houston to leave this game with an unbeaten record intact they may have to play their best game of the season. Here are three keys to Houston getting a signature win over LSU.