Game 1 - @Houston, 11/9/21, 8 PM EST

[Jojogunne]

Preview and game notes. No starters named:

https://gohofstra.com/news/2021/11/7/me ... fstra.aspx

[Wags]

https://twitter.com/HofstraMBB/status/1 ... 3337699328

[EvanJ]

Our last loss to a team starting with H was a 61-47 loss at Holy Cross on November 10, 2007. Of all the team we ever played in Men's Basketball, Holy Cross is closest in alphabetical order. That comes from https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/ ... d_Book.pdf which is our annual Record Book.

Edit: The closest team in alphabetical order we ever played was Hobart. Holy Cross is the closest team in alphabetical order we played in Division I.

[Jojogunne]

Here is Houston's preview:

https://uhcougars.com/news/2021/11/8/me ... esday.aspx

And Houston's game notes:

https://uhcougars.com/documents/2021/11 ... 082021.pdf

According to the preview, only Gonzaga (51), Liberty (36) and Prairie View A&M (35) have won more consecutive home games than Houston. But the preview fails to mention how many consecutive home games the Cougars have won. The answer is 25 (found in the game notes).

[The Shadow]

HU a 19 point underdog to UH according to Vegas.

[triplec2195]

HU a 19 point underdog to UH according to Vegas.

We’ll that hurts!

[HUSID74]

They were a Final Four team last year...did you guys expect it would be Pick-Em?

[Polito]

Yeah, prepare yourselves for a butt-kicking. Speedy and his band of transfers who aren't yet a team are going to get introduced to a big time coach with a team picked again to win the American.

This is a tough opener, but I'm excited they're going for it. Sasson is a tremendous guard, and their bigs are going to destroy whatever HU rolls out there (our post is extremely disappointing w/out Kante - very poor job by the staff in the offseason).

However, HU's saving grace is ... it's game 1! And no one is going to be awesome yet, not even the Zags - every team has a chance in these first few weeks as teams figure themselves out and get their game legs.

HU can counter with very strong guard play, and I think that gives them a chance. I wouldn't be surprised to keep it close at times, but in the end I expect Houston to fulfill the line if not more.

If HU makes this a game to the end, that will be a great sign of season readiness and this teams ability to come together as one. Won't be the end all indicator of a super year, but would be an incredible start.

My prediction is that Speedy is going to have a punch in the face welcome to being a HC against a top coach with a program with true championship aspirations. Gonna be tough sledding for Speedy in this OOC to turn this rag tag group of individuals into a team - esp with a weak post.

But I'm pumped to get college hoops back in action, go HU, give 'em hell tonight!

[The Shadow]

The first Joe Lunardi bracketology on ESPN for the 2022 NCAAT is out and Houston is a #4 seed. Northeastern is projected as a #15 seed.

[RollPride15]

Houston has a bunch of vets returning, and the transfers they added are seasoned, decorated seniors. They're going to look good. I'm not big on moral victories but this is nonconference with a new coach and a million new players -- if we can even remotely hang, it's a moral victory. It's great to face a big school in their house, feel the nerves, long travel, get a feel for what the most intense conference games will feel like.

[stuball888]

Just curious werent we a 29 underdog to Kentucky when we played them a several years ago

[Polito]

I'd expect that HU is going to be an underdog in many games this OOC. Just wait until Richmond gets a hold of this team. Payback is coming from that group lol. All returning, and they will be pissed - gonna make a statement unfortunately on HU IMO. But well worth it for that win last year!


BUT I do think HU can steal 1 or 2 unexpected ones. IF Speedy can bring them together fast... that right there is Speedy's biggest job - make this group a TEAM.

[EvanJ]

Here is Houston's preview:

https://uhcougars.com/news/2021/11/8/me ... esday.aspx

That says they had "a resounding 78-51 win over Montana Tech," but a ranked team beating a non-Division I team by 27 isn't special. I know teams take starters out with a big lead, but there are plenty of nonconference games with margins greater than that. Last season Gonzaga won nine games by at least 27.

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=368979 will have statistics. The starters are not available yet. I am happy that Houston uses StatBroadcast like CAA teams do because I prefer it over Sidearm Stats and the other formats.

Ray and Cramer are not starting, so they must be hurt. We are starting Darlinstone Dubar, Caleb Burgess, Zach Cooks, Aaron Estrada, and Abayomi Iyiola. Iyiola is the only forward. Houston is starting Marcus Sasser (guard), Taze Moore (guard), Kyler Edwards (guard), Reggie Chaney (forward), and Fabian White Jr. (forward). Last season's points per game are 2.3 for Dubar at Iowa State, 8.3 for Burgess, 17.1 for Cooks at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), 3.1 for Estrada at Oregon, 0 in 1 minute for Iyiola at Arkansas, 13.7 for Sasser, 12.2 for Moore at Cal State Bakersfield, 10.1 for Edwards at Texas Tech, 4.7 for Chaney, and 6.2 for White Jr. No freshmen are starting, but only three of the ten are on the same team as last season.

[EvanJ]

We lead 9-7, and that's while shooting poorly. We have more offensive rebounds (5) than Houston's defensive rebounds (4). Houston has 3 fouls.

Edit: Cooks made consecutive threes to go up 17-7, and Houston called timeout with 12:16 left rather than waiting for a media timeout. In between the threes, Hofstra knocked the ball out of bounds, which might have contributed to Houston letting the shot clock run out. Cramer entered, so he is able to play. If Ray doesn't play, I hope there are details announced after the game.

Edit: Houston went on a 9-2 run to go down 22-19, and we got a gift 2 points because the shot clock reset when it shouldn't have. We lead 24-19.

[RollPride15]

No Ray and we're up 6 at the half. Not starting Cramer is interesting, Cooks looks like the real deal and then some. Team is going to be good.

[EvanJ]

We lead 37-31. Cramer made 2 threes, but committed consecutive fouls to make three. On their last possession of the half Houston wanted a foul called on Hofstra that wasn't called. Houston started the possession with a 1 second difference between the game clock and shot clock and shot early enough for us to get a rebound with over 4 seconds left. Houston played good defense that didn't let us move quickly, and Estrada shot I think from beyond halfcourt and hit the front rim at the buzzer. Cooks (15) and Estrada (10) scored more than everybody on Houston. Cramer has 6 by making 2 threes without attempting any other shots, but he has no rebounds and 3 fouls. Dubar has 4 points and 4 rebounds. Silverio scored 2 by shooting 1-7 including threes 0-5. We used eight players. Our players who didn't score were Burgess, who did not attempt a shot and had 1 rebound and 1 assist; Iyiola, who had 5 rebounds; and Simmons, who did not attempt a shot and had 1 rebound. Estrada led us with 6 rebounds. Cooks led us with 2 assists, and we had four players with 1. Bench player John Carlton led Houston with 7. Marcus Sasser shot 2-6 and scored 6, and Kyler Edwards shot 1-7 and scored 3.

[Wags]

Well, that was interesting! Up 37-31 at the half on the road against the No. 15 team in the nation without Jalen Ray? Pretty stunning, especially since they didn't really shoot that well overall or from 3 (especially Silverio, STILL) until they started to heat up a little from 3 late in the half... but that's because Speedy had them ready, prepared, very determined. They outworked Houston, especially on the glass. And that switch to man from the zone paid big dividends.

Cooks - impressive, can score. And Estrada looks to be a great pickup as well thus far. They had 10 each when Hofstra had 20. They were carrying the team offensively. Then Cramer chipped in making his first two 3s, but those two quick fouls, his 2nd and 3rd, could hurt later.

This is already a very successful trip regardless of what happens from here - they can draw a lot from that first half for later in the season even if this were to go the way most expected in the second half. I don't think it will though. I think they're going to hang tough and have a chance late based on how hard they played in that first half.

[EvanJ]

Houston did not have any fast break points.

[RollPride15]

Simmons being hurt is really going to underscore the lack of frontcourt depth, hope he's alright

[EvanJ]

We lead 47-38. Jojogunne said Houston is on a 25 game home winning streak. On January 11, 2018, Towson did not hold for the final shot when they should have, and Jalen Ray made a three at the buzzer to win 76-73 to end Towson's 14 game home winning streak. What do Towson and Houston have in common? Justin Gorham transferred from Towson to Houston and contributed to both streaks. Gorham made all of his field goals and scored 20 for Towson in that game. He played for Houston last season and graduated.

Edit: Silverio made a three and a two to give us our first lead of more than than 10 at 54-42, and it gave Silverio 10 points. Kyler Edwards, who made 1 of his first 8 field goals, made a three, and we scored to and lead 56-45 with 11:03 left. We committed 5 fouls in under five and a half minutes, but went over three and a half minutes without fouling since then. Houston has 3 fouls in the half, and they used one of their second half timeouts.

Edit: Dubar made a three to go up 62-49. Houston scored 2 to go down 62-51 and has the ball after the media timeout with 7:30 left. We have 6 fouls, so Houston will shoot the bonus or double bonus for the rest of the game. We made 11 threes, 13 twos, and 3 free throws. Last season our season-low free throws made was 7, and we scored 56 in that game.

Edit: Houston is on an 8-0 run to go down 62-57 and made us call timeout with 5:36 left.

Edit: We went up 9, but Houston made a three and a two to go down 66-62, and we called our second-to-last timeout with 3:00 left. Since Houston has only 3 fouls, if we remain ahead they will need to foul us multiple times to get us in the bonus.