Interested to see how we handle this tomorrow. We've faced a few different kinds of defenses already, Virginia's pack line really messed us up but I still think a lot of that was tired legs. We took some good shots in that game and just seemed like none of them went down. Memphis really threw us off with their length and willingness to press out on Taylor. Houston is going to ramp the ball pressure up even more. Virginia and Houston are probably the polar extremes of what is still man-to-man defense.
Nobody in the country forces more turnovers than Houston. Opponents turn the ball over 27% of the time against them. Their opponents shoot a lot of threes, but they don't shoot them well and that's likely mostly due to their opponents not getting any good looks from two. Houston is #4 in two-point percentage defense.
But interestingly, we have already faced a team with a similar profile and beat them in a game that neither Boots nor Coleman played in. Iowa State is #2 in turnover percentage, and #2 in two-point percentage defense. (A notable difference, both teams force opponents to shoot a lot of threes, but Houston does a much better job defending those threes. They're also in the top 20 in three-point percentage defense where Iowa State is in the 200s.)
And here's where, if we can win this game, we're probably going to do it. To force all those turnovers, Houston fouls. A LOT. They're close to #300 in free throw rate defensively.
If we can stay in control and not let one turnover turn into three, and continue to attack and not just settle for bad threes (though we do have to shoot them when they're open), I do think there's a path to victory here that isn't all that hard to imagine. This game is a huge opportunity for Wade because I think Houston is going to want to play a style of game that he's good at.
Nobody in the country forces more turnovers than Houston. Opponents turn the ball over 27% of the time against them. Their opponents shoot a lot of threes, but they don't shoot them well and that's likely mostly due to their opponents not getting any good looks from two. Houston is #4 in two-point percentage defense.
But interestingly, we have already faced a team with a similar profile and beat them in a game that neither Boots nor Coleman played in. Iowa State is #2 in turnover percentage, and #2 in two-point percentage defense. (A notable difference, both teams force opponents to shoot a lot of threes, but Houston does a much better job defending those threes. They're also in the top 20 in three-point percentage defense where Iowa State is in the 200s.)
And here's where, if we can win this game, we're probably going to do it. To force all those turnovers, Houston fouls. A LOT. They're close to #300 in free throw rate defensively.
If we can stay in control and not let one turnover turn into three, and continue to attack and not just settle for bad threes (though we do have to shoot them when they're open), I do think there's a path to victory here that isn't all that hard to imagine. This game is a huge opportunity for Wade because I think Houston is going to want to play a style of game that he's good at.