Houston basketball defeated Iowa State 73-65 Monday night at the Fertitta Center in a top-10 matchup.
The Cougars improved to first in the conference with a 23-3 overall record (10-3 in the Big 12), while the Cyclones dropped to a 20-6 overall record with a 9-4 conference record.
For fans of defense, the first half was one of the all-time greats. 12 minutes in, Houston led by a score of just 17-6. By halftime, however, Iowa State had closed the gap to 28-23 in favor of the Cougars following a Curtis Jones three.
In the second half, the offenses heated up slightly, with the Cyclones’ Keshon Gilbert hitting several timely threes. But it was Jamal Shead and the Cougars that always stayed just out of reach for the rest of the game, answering back each time the Cyclones tried to make a run. Despite a 9-17 mark from deep for Iowa State, Houston’s constant turnover-forcing turned out to be the difference in a Big 12 showdown that could have massive implications on the title race.
Takeaway #1: Houston has the best defense of the 2020s
This might not even be an argument. Sure, 2021 Tennessee, 2022 Texas Tech, and the best San Diego State squads under Brian Dutcher come to mind. But this defense is an absolute machine. For a whole quarter of the game, it appeared as if even the Boston Celtics couldn’t score a dozen points on this defense. It’s suffocating, but beautiful to watch, truly.
The Cougars held Tamin Lipsey to 1-8 shooting from the field and forced him into 6 turnovers. Four of five starters for the Cyclones had multiple turnovers, and the team ended up with 16 on the night. Only once has a team scored 75+ against this defense all year, and they’re giving up just 55.0 PPG, the lowest mark in D-1 while playing in the toughest conference in America.
Takeaway #2: Milan Momcilovic is an NBA prospect
The freshman forward from Wisconsin finished the night with 9 points and 5 rebounds, a quieter night by his standards, but he’s shown the ability to be a gem at the next level. Last game against the Cougs, he dropped 11, and the 6-foot-8 forward is able to consistently knock down shots from deep, key to any stretch 4’s development. Before last week’s game against Cincinnati, he had hit at least one three in all but one game since November.
While this year’s draft class might be historically weak, at least according to some analysts, that could be good news for Momcilovic. At the very least, he’ll go through the pre-draft process as just one of several high-ceiling prospects coming out of Wisconsin in recent years.
Takeaway #3: Jamal Shead is the most valuable PG in the country
I don’t mean this in the sense of “Jamal Shead is the best PG in the country,” even though one could make an argument for that. I mean it in the context of being valuable to his team. Houston is where it is right now because of Shead, and there’s not a point guard in the country that can say they have produced more for their team than the senior has for H-town.
The defense is, of course, the main draw for Houston, and Shead does his share on that end of the court (83.7 defensive rating, 7.8 defensive box plus/minus). But the offense would not be nearly as good on offense if it weren’t for the Manor, Texas native. He’s able to open the floor completely through his passing vision (5.8 APG) and scoring (12.8 PPG), and Monday night was no different. Shead ended up with 26 points and 6 assists, with 20 of those points coming in the second half.
The heart and soul of the Houston offense, Shead is the x-factor even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. He embodies the Houston basketball mentality and physicality and brings every other players’ games up a level. The Cougars might not have the best offense in the nation (16th in the nation in KenPom ratings), but Shead’s the reason it’s even top 30. With all due respect to all other point guards, Jamal Shead is who they should be looking up to right now when it comes to impacting team success.
Next up for Houston: at Baylor (Feb. 24 – Noon)
Next up for Iowa State: vs. West Virginia (Feb. 24 – 2 p.m.)