Cougars look to master madness on home court when final tourney buzzer sounds
This year, March has been mad-- to say the least. The stinging feeling stems from talent, a four-leaf clover, or just the latest blizzard. The most popular college basketball tournament took off yesterday, and fan speculations have begun brewing. The tournament is known for its Cinderellas and disappointment, and this year Houston is going to run away with the trophy.
The Cougars have been the most trustworthy team in the NCAA, a league almost designed for upsets. Houston started off this year ranked third in the Associated Press, but now it sits comfortably as the first. The Final Four this year will be held in Houston and announced by Cougar alum Jim Nantz, which almost feels meant to be.
After making it to the Elite 8 last year and falling to number two, Villanova, the Cougars are returning as number one to rightfully take what's theirs. The team has made six appearances in the NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament Final Four, but they have never crossed the finish line. This is the most for any team who has not won a national championship, which only adds to their motivation.
The team won the conference regular season title and has a 69.2% chance of winning the American Athletic Conference tournament, the highest probability of any team in a conference tournament. The team is led by All-American Marcus Sasser, who is averaging 17.1 points per game and 31.7 minutes per game. In the 60-46 win against East Florida, Sasser dropped a whopping 30 points, earning the 30th win for the Cougars this season. He proves over and over again to be unguardable and leads his team in points in almost every game. Sasser, accompanied by his teammate Jamal Shead, are arguably the best duo because of their playmaking abilities and their thinking on the run.
On top of their tough offensive scheme, the team's defense is ranked second with a 0.853 defensive efficiency. With their average of 38.5 rebounds and 8.5 steals per game, the team almost never loses possession of the ball. Head coach Kelvin Sampson places an emphasis on the team's defense and coaches the players to be able to switch defenders at any given moment. This brutal defense wouldn't be possible without the athletes’ lateral quickness.
A tough loss to Alabama, 71-65, early in the season left a lot of room for doubters. Alabama, a great team, is ranked second overall in the Associated Press. However, the Cougars now rank ahead of them in steals, blocks, and field goal percentage defense. A rematch is needed to display the exponential improvement Houston has made since that game so early on in the season.
Many Big 10 teams have shown amazing skill like Purdue, Indiana, and Northwestern, but the conference hasn’t won March Madness since 2000 when Michigan State grabbed the scissors and cut down the net in Indianapolis. The conference hasn't even had a runner-up since 2018. There is something about the month that leaves the Big 10 schools, well, mighty small. Therefore, this cursed conference will not be in the way at all for Houston and the Coogs will have a clear path to the championship.
It’ll be interesting to see how all the upsets unwind this year, like high seeds being eliminated by low seeds. No team can compare to Houston's offense, defense, and motivation, which is eventually what will carry them to the ladder where they will cut off the net after winning the national championship.
by: Sophie Carlin, Graphic by: Jad Alzoubi
Published on March 17, 2023
Oshkosh West Index volume 119 issue VI