Houston @ Southern Methodist preview
Moody Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Feb 15, 2020 ) Houston 72, Southern Methodist 73
Fifth-ranked Houston made just 35.7 percent of its shots, including 4 of 21 from 3-point range, when it took a 65-64 loss at Tulsa on Tuesday to end its unbeaten start to the season.
The Cougars (7-1, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) will look to regain their shooting touch when they face SMU (6-0, 2-0) on Sunday in Dallas.
When asked about the poor shooting game, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson immediately went to a concern that had nothing to do with firing bricks from long distance.
"The scoreboard keeps track of points," he said, "but you know, we didn't guard the dribble well. After a while, they went five guards, and that kind of takes away one of our strengths, which is offensive rebounding.
"Our defense has been good, but these kids are human beings. We're not going to win every game, and it was just a matter of time. When you lose, you always question yourself, and I'm the first person I question when we lose."
The Cougars weren't completely terrible on defense at Tulsa, which made only 41.7 percent from the field. Houston also forced 14 turnovers and earned a 38-35 edge on the glass. However, the Cougars stumbled on the game's final possession.
In a scrambled-court situation after Caleb Mills swished a baseline jumper to put Houston up by one with 6.3 seconds left, the Cougars allowed Brandon Rachal to split multiple defenders on the left wing and gain the lane.
A foul put Rachal at the line, and he calmly drilled both free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining to seal the outcome. The result spoiled a solid all-around effort by Houston's Quentin Grimes, who delivered 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Grimes is Houston's top scorer at 18.5 points per game, although he has made only 38.3 percent of his field-goal attempts.
The Mustangs are coming off a 79-71 win at Temple on Wednesday, when they placed four players in double figures and sank 51.7 percent from the floor. Considering SMU remains unbeaten, it could sneak into the Top 25 next week with a win over the Cougars.
Picked third in the AAC preseason poll behind Houston and Memphis, SMU boasts balance, shooting and rebounding as its assets. Five Mustangs average double-figure scoring, paced by Kendric Davis, who scores 19.2 points and dishes out 7.2 assists per game.
SMU takes good shots (48.1 percent), draws assists on more than 60 percent of its field goals and is also solid from 3-point range at 38.2 percent. The Mustangs also can make free throws, hitting 75.6 percent.
What's more, SMU has real depth for the first time in years. Two of its double-figure scorers at Temple came off the bench, including Darius McNeill, who posted a team-high 17 points.
"It's a long time coming with our numbers situations over the last several years," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said. "I can't tell you how much better it is to sub and have things get better. That's such a big thing for us."
The Mustangs and Cougars split last season's two-game series, each team prevailing at home.
--Field Level Media