NCAA Basketball: Buy or Sell Alabama, Gonzaga, and Kansas as title contenders?
By Bryan Mauro
Houston Cougars – Buy
Be prepared to see a lot of brackets pick the Cougars to win. I know they play in the American Conference and many say they are not challenged enough but I say that won’t matter. Houston is going to be a one-seed, which means their path to the final four should be easier than other teams in the region. The Cougars are also going to be playing the final four at home. If Houston makes the final four and the championship game, they are going to have a huge home-court advantage given that the crowd will likely favor the hometown team. It works out logistically for the Cougars.
Houston also may very well be the best team in the country. The Cougars were my pick to cut down the nets way back in November when I did the 363-1 power rankings. Houston has everything a pass-first point guard who never turns the ball over in Jamal Shead, an All-American level guard in Marcus Sasser. Sasser is not going to have the best numbers when it comes to the rest of the All-American level players out there but that is more about the style that Houston plays. They play slow and are the best defensive team in the country.
Sasser has one of the highest +/- ratings in the country. If you are into that sort of thing. He is probably undervalued as a player given how important he is to the success of Houston. Despite all of that he is one of the 10 best players in the country. The frontcourt has two fantastic players as well. Five-star freshman and first-round NBA pick Jarace Walker teams up with an ultra-athletic center in J’wan Roberts. The entire roster can shoot threes, they all play unbelievable defense, and they have a ton of depth.
Houston has everything you need to win a title. They are impossible to score on and likely won’t play a close game until the elite eight and maybe not even until the Final Four. They could be good or bad. Good in that they will be able to conserve some energy, but bad because if you have not been tested all year it can lead to some games becoming closer than they should be. Houston is great, they are extremely well-coached, and they are going to win it all. Buy on the Cougars.