Houston Beats Texas on the Road in OT- Prospect Overview

Final: #4 Houston 76, Texas 72 OT

By: Nicolas Rioja

Good teams take on the personality of their coach, and there is no better embodiment of this than Houston. No matter what the offense is doing, Houston is always a joy to watch because of the relentless intensity brought to the defensive end and on the glass. Many teams talk about it, but NOBODY does it like Houston. On the other side, Texas is littered with talent. In what has been an embattled start to conference play, the Longhorns looked to right the ship and keep pace amid a very tight conference race in the BIG 12. Ultimately, the Longhorns fell just short. Dillon Mitchell and co. did all they could to keep Houston off the glass, but to no avail. Both teams had their chances, but Texas could not get enough rebounds or offensive firepower to pull this one out.

Standouts:

Jamal Shead, Houston:

25 PTS | 11/24 FG | 8 REB

There is not a better link in the country between coach and player than Kelvin Sampson/Jamal Shead. Recognizing that the other members of the Houston backcourt were ice cold, Sampson entrusted Shead to be the engine of the Houston offense for the night. Down the stretch, the Cougars offense was more or less Shead making something happen, or one of the Houston big men getting the rebound if he failed. Sensing that Sampson was relying on Shead to run the show, Texas coach Rodney Terry adjusted by assigning guard Chendall Weaver to face-guard Shead for all 94 feet. Shead was caught off guard at first, but adjusted, pouring in 14 second half points.

Dillon Mitchell, Texas

16 PTS | 7/13 FG | 10 REB

Facing the best rebounding team in the country, Texas knew they were in for a challenge. Fortunately, Dillon Mitchell was up the task, battling with the rangy Houston bigs all night. Mitchell seemed to constantly be on the right place, open for dump-offs on drives, and able to clean things up around the basket. Mitchell provided an inside presence that nobody else on the team could bring, holding his own on the boards and keeping Texas in striking distance for the whole game. The combo of size and athleticism that entices NBA front offices was on full display.

TEAM STATS OF THE GAME:

REBOUNDS: Houston 47, Texas 36

OFF. REBOUNDS: Houston 15, Texas 8

PTS. IN PAINT: Houston 32, Texas 34