It’s crunch time in college basketball. Teams on the bubble across the country are looking to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Texas is one of those teams.
The Texas Longhorns (16-8) face the Houston Cougars (21-3) on Saturday. With no game in between now and then, the Longhorns should have plenty of time to prepare. They’re going to need it.
The two teams faced earlier this season in the Moody Center in Austin. Texas battled back from an 11-point second half deficit to send the game to overtime, but the better team separated. Houston won the game on an 11-7 overtime period, 76-72.
Fast forward to Saturday where Texas will again face one of the top NCAA title contenders on the road. The venue ramps up the degree of difficulty for the Longhorns and head coach Rodney Terry.
Houston doesn’t often lose at home. The Cougars are 13-0 when playing at the Fertitta Center in Houston. Terry and company will be due significant credit if they can find a way to win.
The battle for Texas will come down to rebounding perhaps more than anything else. Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson reiterated the importance of rebounding following the Cougars’ win over the Longhorns stating that rebounding has been key to his teams’ success. It wasn’t coachspeak.
Houston won the rebounding battle in the last matchup, 47-36. In a game that went to overtime, a disparity that wide can change the outcome.
Texas is still an unfinished product. Even in Saturday’s 94-58 win over West Virginia, the Mountaineers brought in more rebounds than the Longhorns. It took Dylan Disu shooting 7-for-10 from the three point line to earn that margin of victory.
Despite room for growth, the Longhorns played well in spurts in recent losses to Houston and Iowa State. They will look to put it all together in a big game at 12 p.m. CT on CBS.