Houston Recap

Final Score: Creighton 80, Houston 72

Box Score

Recaps: CU | UH
Media: OWH | Houston Chronicle | Honolulu Advertiser

I think I was like many Jays fans who had a lot of concern over this matchup. Houston is basically a more talented version of Fresno State, and we all know how much CU struggled against the Bulldogs last week. Tom Penders has his teams sprinting down the court with a hard press and letting the threes fly. It was imperative for the Jays to stay disciplined in a game like this, run their sets, make the Cougars guard them and play strong perimeter defense. Unlike the night in Fresno, the Jays were able to do exactly that.

First off, if you're going to recap this game, you start with what Dane Watts and Isaac Miles brought to the table. On a night where Anthony Tolliver was in foul trouble and Nate Funk was off the pace he set the day before against Valpo, the question was who would stand up and take on the challenge of carrying the load. Watts was very much ready to take the call. Before the trip to Hawaii, Dane had never put together a double double in his collegiate career, but he's put up the numbers now in back to back nights. Dane was a beast on the boards when the team couldn't get their usual production on the glass from the A-Train. While Nate wasn't as sharp from outside as he was the game before, Dane came up big from downtown with 4-6 shooting from three. Add on to that 4 assists to only a single turnover. From the late struggles last season with mono to the early shooting struggles this year, Dane has had his share of difficulties to fight through and he's now starting to come into his own and be the player that everyone hoped he would become.

We also need to put in a good word for young Isaac. Dana has been tinkering with that third guard spot most of the season, trying to find the right combination for Miles and Nick Porter to see who is best suited to start and who can be that spark of the bench. With Dotzler back in the lineup, it's now possible for Isaac to start to allow his offensive game to blossom and last night was a great example of that. Isaac did a great job of creating through dribble penetration, making his shots and drawing contact.

However, one of the biggest positives from this game was the strong perimeter defense that the Jays played. Houston is not the sort of team that is going to exploit you in the post, so the Jays were able to take their matchup zone and extend it out towards the line with more freedom. With the number of threes the Cougars take, they will make their fair share regardless, but the Jays were able to keep UH from really getting on one of those lighting quick runs they are capable of and get the snowball rolling downhill. If you live by the three, you die by the three and, with the Cougars only shooting 30% from beyond the arc, that's exactly what they did.

Finally, one has to be encouraged that the Jays have taken the cap off the rim during this entire tournament so far. Granted, a lot of the offensive numbers in this game are inflated because of the tempo that a team like Houston dictates, but overall the Jays are starting to run this offense from the inside out, are continuing to get quality looks and are finally starting to drain them.

There is no question we will have our hands full with the home standing Rainbow Warriors tonight. It's going to take a really strong effort for the Jays to overcome the exceptional home court advantage that Hawaii possesses, but with the way the Jays have looked ever since getting to the Islands, it gives reason for hope and optimism.