Houston vs. Kentucky: 3 storylines for the Sweet 16 matchup

3. Breakout party for Houston?

When the selection committee released the early reveal of their top four seeds in each region on Feb. 9, the Cougars found themselves as a No. 3 seed despite being 23-1 at the time. Some felt that showed the committee didn’t feel strongly about the Cougars’ season up to that point, despite the gaudy record. Since then, they’ve gone 10-2, have one of the best defenses in the country, ranking in the top-eight nationally in points allowed, field-goal defense, three-point defense, and in rebounding margin at 7.8.

The Cougars may not shoot the ball at an elite level, sitting outside the top-100 in both field goal and three-point percentages, but they don’t have to be elite because of their defense. On the year, Houston has allowed 65 points or less in 26 of their 36 games as they enter this one. Offensively, they have just two players scoring in double figures, Corey Davis Jr. and Armoni Brooks who average 17.1 and 13.2 respectively. Guards Galen Robinson and Dejon Jarreau are also key contributors, with 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game combined.

If the Cougars can knock Kentucky off, it may be their one shining moment and coming out party to the rest of the college basketball world that they too are national title contenders.