Quentin Grimes vs Davion Mitchell a key storyline for Houston against Baylor

3. How much of an impact Dejon Jarreau has

While Grimes and Marcus Sasser tend to bring the ball up the court, the true facilitator of the Cougars’ offense is Jarreau. The 6’5 senior guard leads the team with 4.4 apg, while being third in both scoring (10.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). He’s also the AAC Defensive Player of the Year and has the ability to guard positions 1-5 on the court.

Jarreau has been impressive in this tournament when healthy, including scoring 17 points and Rutgers and having at least eight points, rebounds, and assists, in both wins over Syracuse and Oregon State, while providing great defense. It’s also important to note that he’s been dealing with a leg injury since the Round of 64 game early against Cleveland State and hasn’t truly been 100% since. The hope is that a few more days of rest will get him as close to 100% as possible against Baylor.

He’ll have to be, as his performance could very well determine their odds to beat the Bears. First off, their pressure defense will force Jarreau into making tough decisions, as he could be dealing with Davion Mitchell or MaCio Teague on the court. Jarreau only has seven total turnovers in three games and he’ll have to continue with the good ball security.

He’s also going to have to provide double-digit scoring. Baylor can score the ball and for Houston to keep up, they’ll need all the guards to put the ball in the basket. Jarreau is a 35% three-point shooter so he may have to take matters into his own hands during the game to keep Houston within striking range.