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Sports

Fight for Big Dance bid heating up

Judge Dredd

Chris Elliott

There are roughly three weeks until Selection Sunday, and for the first time in 14 years, Houston could have something other than an NIT bid to celebrate. 

The Cougars' road to the NCAA Tournament will be suspenseful and potentially crushing because of earlier losses to teams with low Rating Percentage Index's. They currently appear on one ESPN mock bracket and are No. 55 on two RPI lists. 

The Cougars play Texas-El Paso on Saturday, and though they have already shown the ability to beat the Miners, this game will not be at Hofheinz. Houston will have a week off before their game to recover from some nagging injuries, but the time off could potentially cool off this hot team that is riding an eight game winning streak. 

If they manage to get past UTEP with a win, The Cougars cannot slip up against Rice. Houston is playing much better basketball than they were when the Owls first embarrassed them, and I predict they get even with a 20-25 point victory.

Finally there is Memphis, who, in my opinion, will be upset. If UH finds a way to beat the Tigers, expect nothing less than No. 8 seed in the Tournament.

If they lose, it's a different story. If Houston's winning streak ends at 10 games against Memphis, it would still have 20 wins for the season, which looks good to the Tournament Committee. But 20 wins alone won't do it. UH would have to get far in the Conference USA tourney -- finals or semifinals -- but that shouldn't be too hard. The Cougars have shown the ability to beat every team in the conference except Memphis, whom they have not played.

These theories are all contingent on Houston's ability to continue to play its trademark style of defense. This means one player above all others needs to bring his A game every single night: Brian Latham. 

This team thrives on fast break points, and there are no fast breaks without turnovers, and there are no turnovers without the senior forward. Though he does not lead the team in steals, his ability and defensive intensity are scary. He has dared any guard to get past him this season, and few have been able to do that. If they try, count on a steal, a travel or a tipped pass. If the Cougars wants to get in the tournament and make any noise, Latham will be the key. 

If they do not make the Tournament this year, The Cougars will lose a handful of solid seniors. But it all still boils down to this weekend's match up in El Paso. 

Win to get in, baby! 

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