Houston Basketball: 3 keys to beat Miami Hurricanes in Sweet 16 matchup

Defense

Sure, every team needs to defend to win games, but there is not another team who in the country who can lock in like Houston can on the defensive end. In the second half of their game against Auburn it was virtually impossible for Auburn to score points. The Cougars were active on the defensive end, blocking shots, cutting off driving lanes, and rebounding everything. Houston broke the will of Auburn, and the Cougars were able to pull away early in the second half and cruise to what looked like a lopsided victory.

The Cougars are at their best when they play smothering defense, and that defense leads to offense. Houston is vulnerable on offense when they are forced to work in the half court, but when they can create turnovers or get rebounds for easy transition baskets, they really get cooking. The Cougars are also at their best when they can move the ball and attack before the defense has a chance to set up. That is also a product of their defensive pressure.

Miami has the best set of guards that Houston has faced in the tournament; they also have a dominate big man who can get some of the Houston bigs in foul trouble.  Heading into the game with Auburn I thought the same thing, and we all saw how that turned out. Jamal Shead and Marcus Sasser are going to be tasked with stopping the two Miami guards and when the ball gets inside expect Houston to rotate to swarm the big man and not allow the kick out pass.

The Cougars defensive rotations are elite, their defensive schemes are elite, and they rarely foul. Houston needs to make sure those same things happen against a team who is going to do a lot of damage at the rim if they are allowed to get there. Something woke Houston up in the second half of their game against the Auburn Tigers and it would be a surprise if they came out flat with so much of the season on the line.