Houston is a veteran team that brings back almost every player from last season. The one noticeable difference is that Snead went to the NBA and they have replaced him with starting Junior Milo’s Uzan an Oklahoma transfer.

Houston starts 3 guards averaging 6’2 and a half. The best being 6’1” guard LJ Cryer who is projected to be a second round draft pick

Houston’s has 3 6”8’ 230 lb forwards who average 8, 6 & 4 points with 7, 5 & 3 rebounds.

In last year‘s game, Fous only played 10 minutes and had 7 points against this front line. Fouss was injured in December and was still on limited minutes and really hadn’t meshed yet when we played Houston. Noah Waterman was our leading score last year against this group.

Houston will have the best defense we have seen this season. In the games, Houston has won this year. Their opponents have not scored more than 54 points. In the game, they’ve lost teams have averaged about 74 points.

They don’t score a lot of points, but they have five players who average better than 40% from three-point range and a few others who are better than 35%.

Houston has been in foul trouble this season and that could become a factor. Uzan fouled out of all three losses and he is a guard. In one of the games he fouled out logging just 12 minutes of play.


Their three losses came to Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State. Both the San Diego State and the Alabama games went to overtime. The only other power teams they have played are Oklahoma State, and Notre Dame, neither of which are any good and were games that were never in doubt.

As a Baker fan, I worry about this match up in that I think he may struggle trying to put the ball on the floor against this skilled group of guards.

I think a few keys to this game will be:

1. Traore will need to have a big scoring game this year which should help our three-point shooters. I don’t think last year’s game was a representation of what fouss can and will do to Houston. Last year he was still on limited minutes and only played 10. Just two games after the Houston game with double the minutes he had 24 points against West Virginia on similar sized defenders.

2. Making between 12 and 15 three-pointers will bode well for us. Hopefully at 35% or better.

3. Limit their 3 point shooting. Our defense this season has gifted many teams, great shooting nights. We seem to have turned a corner in our perimeter defense and we will need our best outing yet to win this game.