Coogs meet `Horns at home with 2nd place in SWC on line

by Adam Burns

It all comes down to one game.

When Houston (16-9, 10-3 in the Southwest Conference) hosts Texas (18-7, 10-3) at noon Saturday (Raycom television, Ch. 11) at Hofheinz Pavilion, the importance of the game will be for more than just sole rights to second place in the final SWC standings, Houston coach Alvin Brooks said.

"It would give us another win over a top 40 team in the power rankings," Brooks said. "That would be big when they are considering an (NCAA Tournament) at-large bid."

When Texas won the Feb. 3 meeting in Austin 80-63, the game was a lot closer than the score indicated, Brooks said.

The Cougars were down four points (59-55) with a little less than five minutes to go, and, instead of the Cougars using one of their trademark comebacks, the Longhorns were able to pull away.

"The biggest thing in that game is we didn't take care of the ball (25 Houston turnovers)," Brooks said.

Two things the Cougars have to contend with Saturday are named Kris Clack and Reggie Freeman.

"We don't have a pure point guard on this team," Longhorns coach Tom Penders said. "Our best creator is Reggie Freeman."

The third-year guard averages 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists per game.

However, the Cougars' defense held Freeman to 17 points of 6-of-18 shooting, four rebounds and two assists -- many of his points were scored in garbage time, when Texas had already pulled away for the victory.

"We did a great job on Reggie Freeman," Brooks said. "We played some zone and put Kirk Ford on him when we played man to man."

Swingman Clack has been improving all season, enough so that he should receive strong consideration for Freshman of the Year, Penders said.

"He's the best athlete I've ever coached," Penders said. "He has a 42-inch vertical leap, the speed of a sprinter, and he plays defense."

Clack averages just 8.7 points a game, but shoots 54.5 percent from the field and averages 6.1 rebounds a game.

Cougars forward Tim Moore, who averages just under 18 points and 12 rebounds a game to lead Houston in both categories, is coming off a season-high 27-point performance against Southern Methodist Wednesday.