HOUSTON – An all-Texas national-semifinal takes over Indianapolis on Saturday. No.1 seed Baylor, the champions of the south region will face the No. 2 seed Houston, the champions of the midwest region.
Here’s a look at the two teams by the numbers:
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The total losses between the two teams. The 28-3 Coogs have had two puzzling losses among their three (Tulsa, East Carolina, Wichita State), but have mostly dominated all season long. Baylor’s two losses came at the end of the year, to Kansas and Oklahoma State - both tournament teams. Both Houston and Baylor spent the whole season ranked highly, and are in the Final Four to little surprise.
41.1
That’s the percentage of threes Baylor makes. The Bears are #1 in the nation in the 3-point percentage, hitting roughly 10-24 per game. Baylor’s make rate is top 10 nationally.
3rd
Houston rates 3rd in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, getting back possessions 14.4 times in an average contest. Houston’s team is built around defense and rebounding. The Coogs are 6th nationally in total rebounds per game, and rank 6th in defensive efficiency via/KenPom.
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HOUSTON
Quentin Grimes
The Kansas-transfer guard has turned into a star in his hometown team after not fitting in, in Lawrence. Grimes is one of the best shooters in the country and can score in a myriad of ways. While Houston plays more team-oriented ball than most, Grimes can break out for high-point performances.
Dejon Jarreau
The AAC Defensive Player of the Year and point guard is the heart and soul of the Houston Cougars. Jarreau not only typically guards the opposing team’s best perimeter player, he also dishes assists and fights for rebounds as a 6′5″ point guard.
Marcus Sasser
The streaky sharpshooter can go cold or completely take over games. Sasser’s overall numbers don’t look great, but he’s gotten hot for games of 8, 7 and 6 threes. Sasser got hot against Oregon State, helping Houston build a big lead with 5 threes.
BAYLOR
Davion Mitchell
Mitchell is potential lottery pick, and similar to Jarreau, does a little bit of everything. He’s a great passer, can score multiple ways, and gets rebounds for his size. There’s a reason pro teams believe he can lead their offense.
Jared Butler
Baylor’s leading scorer pours in 40.4% from three on 6 shots per game. The highly efficient guard is also adept as a ballhandler, coming in second on Baylor in assists behind Mitchell.
MaCio Teague
Baylor’s second-leading scorer also shoots well on high volume and pulls down 4.1 rebounds per game. Teague is in his second NCAA stop, scoring plenty of points at both UNC Asheville and Baylor.
