Busting Brackets
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Houston Basketball: 3 takeaways from Cougars big win over Texas Tech

By Caleb Hightower

HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 23: Quentin Grimes #24 of the Houston Cougars drives the baseline past Michael Devoe #0 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half of the game at the Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 23: Quentin Grimes #24 of the Houston Cougars drives the baseline past Michael Devoe #0 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half of the game at the Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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Houston Basketball
Mac McClung Georgetown Hoyas (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Cougars frustrated Mac McClung early

Going into Sunday’s contest, Georgetown transfer, Mac McClung, was averaging 19.0 points per game, after scoring 20 points against Northwestern State, and 18 points against Sam Houston State to start the season. McClung managed to finish with 16 points against Texas Tech on Sunday (with 10 of those points coming from the foul line), but you would have time convincing me that he wasn’t invisible early on.

If you go back and look at my breakdown of McClung, you will immediately notice that I pointed out that, McClung is a more effective player, when he is constantly on the move. His ability to catch the ball as he is coming off cross or down screens (or simply darting across the floor to make himself available to one of his teammates), allows him to receive quality looks on a consistent basis.

This is because he does a great job of setting his defenders up, getting them to think that he is going to stay on the same side of the floor, and then taking off toward the other side of the floor.

However, McClung didn’t have many opportunities to receive the ball on the run on Sunday, because Texas Tech wouldn’t allow it to happen. The Cougars did a terrific job of denying McClung from the get-go, as he was moving in the direction of the ball handler, without overplaying him (which would have made them more susceptible to back door cuts, for easy layups at the rim).

The Cougars also ensured that they could see McClung and the ball at all times, while also paying adequate attention to McClung’s hips so that they would know when he was planning to aggressively pursue the ball.

Additionally, when McClung caught the ball on the left or right wing, and came off of a ball screen a few seconds later, he was met with an immediate hedge by either Justin Gorham or Brison Gresham, which often caused him to kill his dribble impulsively. It was clear that Kelvin Sampson (Houston head coach) refused to watch McClung come tightly off of ball screens, and take advantage of clear paths to the basket, because of Gorham and Brison’s poor ball screen defense.

You would have to be crazy to think that McClung’s eyes wouldn’t have lit up if he had seen that Gorham and Gresham were giving him various opportunities to attack them. I am sure that McClung would have loved to either keep the ball in the same hand, and get Gorham or Gresham to open up their hips (so that they could try to meet McClung at the rim, instead of trying to get him to change direction), or take a few dribbles toward the basket (which may have caused Gorham or Gresham’s body to lean too far to one side), before executing a powerful spin at the perfect moment.

Unfortunately for McClung, he didn’t get much of a chance to put any of these moves together, because the Cougars were able to swarm him, as soon as he started to use the ball screens that he received.

It is also important to note that the Cougars threw McClung off his game so much in the first half, that he began to dance with the ball excessively out on the perimeter, before ultimately swinging the ball over to one of his teammates.

In my opinion, there is really no need for a player to put the ball between their legs 3 or 4 times (while standing in place), before crossing over right in front of their defender’s face, if they are just going to resort to giving the ball up a few seconds later (but the Cougars baited McClung into doing this several times in half #1).

McClung did have a nice little stretch in the first half, where he made a few smart decisions that benefited him, and the Red Raiders nicely. With around 7:50 left, McClung wisely refused a ball screen on the right wing, exploded to his right, quickly rose up, and got fouled at the basket.

On the very next offensive possession, McClung took advantage of a rare lackadaisical defensive effort by the Cougars in transition and proceeded to take a hard step to his left, switch the ball from his left hand to his right, turn the corner fearlessly, and use his elite first jump to release an intelligent floater, that resulted in a much-needed bucket for the Red Raiders.

However, throughout the entire first half, McClung wasn’t able to find a consistent rhythm offensively, and because of that, McClung wasn’t much of a factor during the first 20 minutes of the contest. Yes, McClung got to the free throw repeatedly in the second half and helped the Red Raiders climb back into the game, but because the Cougars harassed McClung relentlessly in the first half, they were still in tremendous shape, when he got himself going in half #2.