CBB Full-Court Press: Houston has pieces to win 1st national title

College Basketball Full-Court Press recaps the most important developments from the sport and examines their significance moving forward.

Houston has the goods

Kelvin Sampson's best Houston squads have prided themselves on their elite offensive rebounding and defense. This season's Cougars roster is no different. The school is 46th in the NCAA with 12.6 offensive boards per contest. Joseph Tugler is averaging nearly three offensive rebounds, and his 15.2% offensive rebound percentage is 12th in the nation. J'Wan Roberts and Ja'Vier Francis have been active on the glass as well, tallying a combined 4.5 offensive boards per game.

Houston allows the fewest points (57.8 per contest) and ranks fourth in opponent field-goal percentage (38%). The Cougars always seem to be on the same page defensively. They know when to provide help for one another and time their traps effectively. Opponents have so much trouble scoring in between Houston's physicality, relentless pressure, shot contests, and rim-protection.

But what might separate this year's Cougars from previous iterations is their firepower. Houston's 125.1 points per 100 possessions is the best adjusted offensive efficiency rate of Sampson's 11-year tenure. It's a top-three 3-point shooting team nationally, with three starters making at least 40% of their long-distance attempts. L.J. Cryer has the shot-creating ability to get a basket whenever the team is struggling to manufacture offense. Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan has grown more comfortable in a lead playmaker role and ranks fourth in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.61). Roberts provides steady low-post scoring to complement the sharpshooters. Houston has all the ingredients to finally win its first national championship.

Self era hits new low

Bill Self is on pace for his worst campaign at Kansas since taking over from Roy Williams. The Jayhawks sit sixth in the Big 12 with a 10-7 record after dominating the conference for the past two decades. They're also projected to be worse than a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Self, per ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. Kansas' 91-57 defeat to BYU last week equaled the largest loss of Self's tenure and was the program's most lopsided result as a ranked team against an unranked opponent, according to ESPN's Stats & Info.

A lot has gone wrong since the Jayhawks were tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team. It all starts with Kansas' offensive makeup. The Jayhawks don't get to the charity stripe often and their 3-point shooting woes from the previous campaign continue to plague them. Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr is making only 26.5% of his triples, while ex-Alabama guard Rylan Griffen hasn't built on his solid sophomore year. That's a recipe for disaster with the starting trio of Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris Jr., and KJ Adams Jr. already providing little outside shooting. Kansas has struggled mightily away from Phog Allen Fieldhouse, ranking 201st in offensive efficiency, per Barttorvik.com.

Dickinson's lack of foot speed on defense remains a liability as well. Gonzaga continually exposed the 7-foot-1 center in pick-and-roll sequences during its Round of 32 matchup against Kansas in last year's Big Dance. That blueprint has been followed to a tee by many teams in conference play and should continue to be at the forefront of opponents' game plans.

'Bama still in hunt for top seed

Alabama's hopes for an SEC regular-season crown and top NCAA Tournament seed remains alive. The Crimson Tide got a massive 96-83 bounce-back win against Kentucky over the weekend after consecutive losses to Auburn and Missouri. Nate Oats' defense noticeably struggled in each of those defeats, surrendering an average of 102 points. The Tide had a much better effort against the Wildcats after a slow start. Alabama tallied 24 points off 13 turnovers and held Kentucky leading scorer Otega Oweh to two points on 1-of-9 shooting, ending his double-digit scoring streak at 27 games.

Nobody is going to mistake the Crimson Tide as a lockdown defensive unit. Alabama's up-tempo style naturally provides more possessions for opponents to score. They just need to defend at an acceptable level with the country's highest-scoring offense at its disposal. Mark Sears is rounding into form again after a slight drop-off in January. The fifth-year guard is just the second SEC player over the past 20 seasons with consecutive 30-point games versus a ranked opponent. Auburn transfer Aden Holloway is averaging 14.3 points and shooting 45.6% from deep over his past nine appearances. Four-star freshman Labaron Philon has moved back into the starting lineup, allowing Sears to be weaponized further off the ball. Veteran forward Grant Nelson showed last March that he can be a game-changer as well.

Oats guided the Crimson Tide to their maiden Final Four with a significantly worse defense a year ago. A trip to San Antonio is certainly on the table if Alabama can play a bit better defensively.

Transition three

Missouri's incredible turnaround: The Tigers went winless in SEC play and 8-24 overall last season after a promising debut campaign under Dennis Gates. The school was then picked 13th in the conference's preseason poll. Nobody foresaw Missouri quickly transforming into a national contender. Gates returned three starters from the previous season and filled the team's remaining holes through the transfer portal. Gates' trust in his core and offseason planning resulted in a dramatic reversal of fortunes. Missouri has the college basketball world on notice with three top-five victories, including last week's 110-98 victory over Alabama. The Tigers boast 3-point shooters, get to the charity stripe often, and capitalize off their opponents' turnovers in transition. It's time to include Missouri in the SEC's short list of second-weekend threats.

Gonzaga officially on watch: Saint Mary's swept its regular-season series with Gonzaga for the first time since 2016. The Bulldogs' latest defeat leaves them potentially vulnerable on Selection Sunday. Mark Few's program doesn't have any signature non-conference wins outside of its dominant season-opening victory over Baylor. The Zags have suffered more defeats in WCC play than in any other campaign under Few. Gonzaga is 48th in wins above bubble and just 2-6 in Quad 1 matchups. The Bulldogs have a few more opportunities to improve upon that record with Santa Clara and San Francisco up next to close out the regular season. Wins over both WCC foes would secure Gonzaga a bye to the conference tournament's semifinal round. However, anything short of a WCC Tournament crown might put the school's 25-year NCAA tourney streak at risk.

Arkansas has hope: The Razorbacks breathed new life into their NCAA Tournament chances with a huge victory against a resurgent Missouri squad. John Calipari's group desperately needed the result after a series of close calls versus Alabama, Texas A&M, and Auburn. Arkansas' 5-9 SEC record doesn't look pretty on the surface, but each win in college basketball's toughest conference goes a long way in its argument to the committee. The Razorbacks now have three top-15 wins on their resume, including a true road win at Kentucky and a neutral-site victory over Michigan. Some work still needs to be done before the Hogs can punch their ticket to the Big Dance. But their remaining SEC schedule will give them every opportunity to earn a spot.