Houston men's basketball flexes on fellow Texas teams on social media
The Houston Cougars have been one of the most dominant teams in all of college basketball this season, thanks in large part to their loaded arsenal of athletes and the relentlessly aggressive style of defense they play. On Wednesday, the Cougars did not shy away letting all of the other colleges in Texas know about their dominance.
The flex comes right after the Cougars survived Texas A&M in overtime in their Round of 32 thriller, 100-95. It was without a doubt, one of the best games of the NCAA Tournament thus far.
Houston advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, for their chance to face off against the No. 4 seeded Duke Blue Devils. Usually one of the higher seeds, the Blue Devils have taken on the role of “underdogs”, although it’s fair to say that a program that reels in as much as blue-chip talent as Duke does is never really an underdog.
The Blue Devils are currently listed as 4.5 underdogs in their matchup with Houston, according to FanDuel. In their round of 32 game against JMU, Duke had an explosion from Jared McCain, who erupted for 30 points after hitting eight threes and setting records in the process.
The man who has carried the Cougars this season is without a doubt, their superstar Jamal Shead. He was recently named a Nasmith Defensive Player of the Year finalist and a Naismith Player of the Year finalist. Shead was the only player in the nation other than Purdue’s Zach Edey to be named a finalist for both awards. He’s been averaging 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per contest.
In Houston’s overtime win over Texas A&M in the Round of 32, Shead stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists. The Cougars also got double digit scoring from three other players in that one (J’Wan Roberts-13 points, Emanuel Sharp-30 points, L.J. Cryer-20 points).
The Cougars have posted a 32-4 overall record this season, one of the best seasons in school history. The program has been ranked for a school-record 84 consecutive weeks dating back to the 2019-2020 campaign. Houston is fueled by their stifling defense, only allowing opponents to score 57.7 points per game. That leads the nation.