LSU vs. Houston preview: Tigers host tough Cougar squad

By
Devin Sherrer
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LSU will look to keep its momentum going when it hosts Houston on Wednesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The Tigers are playing the third of six consecutive home contests and are looking for their third consecutive win after defeating UT-Martin (84-60) and UNC-Wilmington (97-84).

First-year head coach Will Wade has LSU leading the nation in 2-point field goal percentage at 63.1 percent. In their last two outings, the Tigers shot an excellent 45-of-74 from inside the arc.

Houston, led by fourth-year head man Kelvin Sampson, comes to Baton Rouge off the back of seven straight wins including a resounding 91-65 home win over Arkansas.

The Cougars’ 8-1 record is the best start for a Houston team since the 2007-2008 squad began the year with an 11-1 record.

Players to Watch

Duop Reath (LSU)

After scoring 30 points in 27 minutes of play against UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Duop Reath will look to continue his impressive paint production against Houston.

The reigning SEC Player of the Week has scored 11 or more points in all but one game this season and grabbed five or more rebounds in all but two games.

Reath’s consistent interior play has led to solid a solid average in both the scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (4.9 rpg) categories.

The 6’11 senior will look to have success inside early and often against the Cougars.

Rob Gray (Houston)

Senior guard Rob Gray leads the Cougars averaging 21.6 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Gray has posted double figures in each game this season and scored a season-high 37 in Houston’s lone loss to Drexel in the second game the of the season.

The Forest City, NC native is a quick guard that will look to get in the lane to show off his distributing abilities. Gray has had multiple assists in seven of his eight appearances; look for him to shine in that department again against LSU.

How LSU Can Win

Tremont Waters has been a revelation for LSU this season. When Tremont Waters is playing well, LSU is playing well — especially true on the offensive end.

The Tigers will again look to their point guard for leadership. In this game, Waters will have to prove himself against a veteran presence in Gray; however, it won’t be anything tougher than what he faced in Maui.

If Waters is able to get the best of Gray, it will open up the lane for fellow guard Skylar Mays and allow interior players like Reath, Randy Onwuasor, and Wayde Sims to get going on the inside.

How Houston Can Win

The Cougars are 2-0 on the road this season and are coming off a win at Saint Louis in which they started the game well. Houston was able to take a lead to halftime and never looked back.

Sampson’s men will want to lock down LSU on the defensive end and have an alert offensive start. Gray will need to contain Waters and get the ball out of the fantastic freshman’s hands to slow the Tigers down.

A similar start to the one in St. Louis should give Houston the momentum to compete closely for the full 40 minutes in this game.

If the Houston can limit LSU’s guards and get exceptional guard play from Gray coupled with contributions from big man Devin Davis and guard Wes VanBeck, they should have enough to propel themselves to victory.

Devin Sherrer
Devin Sherrer is a devout SEC basketball fanatic. He has followed all things SEC since birth and really there is nothing he’d rather do than sit back, relax, and enjoy the roller coaster we call college basketball. He can be found on many SEC and NCAA basketball forums and has been writing basketball-related content for leisure since 2016.