As the Cougars were getting out to an impressive 3-0 start to the year, there were still flashes of youthful inexperience that you knew were going to come back to bite them at some point. That some point was Tuesday evening, as Houston lost to Oakland, 76-74.
The Cougars' timing just seemed a little bit off all night long, as the defense committed too many bad fouls (and the Golden Grizzlies capitalized, going 18-of-21 from the line), the shooters struggled to get shots in rhythm (3-of-18 from beyond the arc as a team), and that extra something, where every member of the Houston rotation seemed poised for a big play at any time, just wasn't there. Kirk Van Slyke (28 points) and Alandise Harris (21 points) had big games, but the rest of the team seemed stuck in "stand around and watch" mode.
Maybe Houston was feeling a little too good about themselves after an impressive win over Arkansas, and saw an Oakland team that the Razorbacks had already beaten handily, and figured they were in for an easy victory, especially after the Coogs took an early 9-point lead.
Whatever the case, it's certainly a teachable moment for coach James Dickey and the staff. Hopefully Houston will come out with a little more hunger in their next game against TCU on Saturday.