Houston

Wow! Did not think we would pull this off. What a win.



We played tough. Hustled and got after it. It wasn't the prettiest but a win is a win. I like the energy of this team. They get after it.



Colby Lee has been a surprise. He doesn't try to do too much and knows where to be on the floor. As much as it hurts having Baxter and Childs out, the silver lining is the experience Lee is getting and he is improving.



Nixon is really earning his minutes as well.



If it weren't for Toolson we'd be sunk.



I like Barcello. He's aggressive and quick. Guy forces it a bit too much but I don't think you tell a player like him to slow down. We can't afford to have a player on the court that isn't going to try something, plus I think come WCC play he'll be much more effective in the guard heavy league.



Some gripes:

1) What is up with the scoop layups? They get blocked all the time. Harding, Barcello and others keep hanging it up there for defenders to block. Go straight up with it! I have never seen so many blocked shots.

2) I don't think Haws and Toolson have figured out yet how to play together. They really could have a great one-two game going but you can tell the chemistry isn't quite there yet.

3) This team has very, very little depth. Pope is basically playing seven guys, Haws, Toolson, Barcello, Nixon, Seljaas, Lee, and Harding. That's it.

P.S. It was neat seeing Dave Rose there and Haws running up to him after he made the game winning shot.

Gunk wrote:

P.S. It was neat seeing Dave Rose there and Haws running up to him after he made the game winning shot.

Wasn't that the coolest thing that Dave Rose was standing right there at court side, a few feet away when TJ hit that shot. I didn't know who it was and I thought, who in the world would have front row court side seats at a Houston game and be the person that TJ would feel it natural to hug after hitting the game winning shot. I felt a little for MP as it seemed like the whole team flocked on over there to DR to celebrate.

EM_Puma wrote:

P.S. It was neat seeing Dave Rose there and Haws running up to him after he made the game winning shot.

Wasn't that the coolest thing that Dave Rose was standing right there at court side, a few feet away when TJ hit that shot. I didn't know who it was and I thought, who in the world would have front row court side seats at a Houston game and be the person that TJ would feel it natural to huge after hitting the game winning shot. I felt a little for MP as it seemed like the whole team flocked on over there to DR to celebrate.

I guess the first guy was Mark Durant and then he ran over to Rose.



Another angle also shows Pope running to the team, celebrating, then seeing Rose, and running over to Rose. Class act by Pope. And, class act by Rose.

Much improved game. Nixon bailed himself slightly out of his dog house I had put him and Seljaas in after last game, but with 4-5 minutes left in a close game he again did miss two straight free throws.



I too liked the team's energy. I agree about Toolson and Haws. They need to work out some sort of game. You throw Barcello in that mix and the 3 guards just don't run in sync yet. I hope they do work it out, but then they have to adjust once Yoelli is inserted. We do have some talent on this team if we can get them to play well together.



Lee is still painful to watch. He just has no "fluidity" in his body whatsoever and he makes it look so difficult to run down the court. I give him good grades on this game and I'm grateful for his play, but...



In my "what in the heck moment", what was the Houston coach doing wearing a royal blue shirt? That one got my puzzler puzzling. I love our royal blue unis.

Pope was the coach, but this was Rose's game--scheduled when he was coach for his return to UH. In-arena pre-game made a pretty big deal of the homecoming for Rose to be back at his Alma Mater.



I can only assume Pope himself made the significance of this game to Rose part and parcel of his motivation strategy to the team leading up to and during the game. "See that guy sitting over there? You know that guy? You love that guy? You know what he's been through lately? A heart attack a month ago? And now he comes here, not to cheer for the school he played and bled for, but to stand with you guys--he's here for you today. Don't let that man down. Sometime when you are up against it and the breaks are beating you, you gotta go out there with all you've got and win just one for the Gipper."

snoscythe wrote:

Pope was the coach, but this was Rose's game--scheduled when he was coach for his return to UH. In-arena pre-game made a pretty big deal of the homecoming for Rose to be back at his Alma Mater.



I can only assume Pope himself made the significance of this game to Rose part and parcel of his motivation strategy to the team leading up to and during the game. "See that guy sitting over there? You know that guy? You love that guy? You know what he's been through lately? A heart attack a month ago? And now he comes here, not to cheer for the school he played and bled for, but to stand with you guys--he's here for you today. Don't let that man down. Sometime when you are up against it and the breaks are beating you, you gotta go out there with all you've got and win just one for the Gipper."

:lol: Good Rudy moment there snoscythe.

A very satisfying win. This team has scrap and will. Lee and Nixon are doing some serious battle. (Some parts of Lee’s game are painful but the biggest pleasant surprise for me regarding Lee is his passing.) That was a fun game to watch.

Lee had 14 points, tied for 2nd, 7 rebounds, which led the team, and 4 assists which was also 2nd.

nuk13 wrote:

Lee had 14 points, tied for 2nd, 7 rebounds, which led the team, and 4 assists which was also 2nd.

Solid performance by Lee.



Houston had a Kenpom of 29 heading into the game and was favored by 11.5 points. We weren't supposed to win that game.

BYU Kenpom is 68. Houston now 33

scott715 wrote:

BYU Kenpom is 68. Houston now 33

I hope Houston stays that high as this would be a very exceptional road win.

No matter what the ratings are, beating Houston at home is a great win!

Really great win for BYU. It was a combination of good defense and just poor shooting by Houston and a little bit of a lucky bounce (shooter's bounce if you will) for a game winning shot. This playing time will make Lee a great backup once Childs is available.

byufan4ever wrote:

Really great win for BYU. It was a combination of good defense and just poor shooting by Houston and a little bit of a lucky bounce (shooter's bounce if you will) for a game winning shot. This playing time will make Lee a great backup once Childs is available.

Lee is a sophomore too. So the PT will pay dividends for the seasons to come.

Now to build on this one and get another road win at Boise State on Wednesday. Can't let that good feeling slip away. Maui is going to be a tough row to hoe.