Don’t look now, but Houston is coming alive and doing what they’ve done the past two years: winning. Kelvin Sampson continues to build there, and he has a big-time talent helping out now that he’s home.
While many wondered if Houston could repeat its success of two years ago entering last year, the Cougars at least had a good deal of continuity in their personnel. There were questions given that they lost a lot of production, but they had some winning DNA, which helped them win 33 games and reach the Sweet 16, where they almost knocked off Kentucky. They had winning streaks of 15 (to open the season) and 11 games along the way.
This season, with the sterling backcourt and a couple of other contributors gone, there were more questions. At first, they looked like mere mortals, too, starting off 2-2 including a buzzer-beating home loss to BYU (they didn’t lose their second game last year until March, and this already matched the number of home losses they had in their new arena from a year ago). They still looked good, sure, but not 33-win good by a long shot.
Since losing at Oregon less than a week before Thanksgiving, they have only lost to Oklahoma State, and there’s no shame there. After holding off Georgia Tech 70-59 on Monday night, they are off to the championship game in the Diamond Head Classic, where they got a shot at another Pac-12 team in Washington, 72-61 winners over Hawaii in the other semifinal.
The star in Honolulu is a guy who was supposed to be cashing checks for an NBA team this season. Quentin Grimes was a big-time prospect in high school and went to Kansas. Most thought he would be one-and-done to the NBA. But after a great debut in which he scored 21 points and was 6-10 from long range in the season opener against Michigan State, and was okay in the second game, confidence issues took over and he struggled often, shooting just 38 percent from the field. He did appear to be coming around in the Big 12 Tournament, where he scored in double figures more times (3) than he did in the entire conference regular season (2). Included was an 18-point effort in their semifinal win over West Virginia where he went 5-8 from long range.
Grimes would declare for the NBA Draft, but rather than stay in it, he withdrew and then opted to transfer. The hometown Cougars were the choice, and he got a waiver to play right away. It’s been a tale of two seasons, as he’s clearly in a better place close to home. He’s shooting over 48 percent from the field and averaging over 15 points per game, scoring in double figures in all but three games (including a scoreless outing in the loss to the Cowboys, going 0-7 from the field).
On Monday, he scored 23 of his 26 points in the first half, helping the Cougars build a halftime lead they would make stand up. He was 10-15 from the field and added five rebounds, looking very much like the star he was projected to be a year ago. The Cougars are also out-rebounding opponents by the third-best margin in the country, with a guard – Nate Hinton – leading the way at 9.3 per game while chipping in under 13 points a night. To that end, the Cougars out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 42-25 on Monday, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds.
Sometimes a player might be talented enough to play at a blueblood, but the fit isn’t there; it looks like that was the case for Grimes, and he’s found a better fit. The Cougars are all the better for it, and they’ll play for a championship on Christmas.
Side Dishes
In the consolation bracket in Honolulu, Boise State handled Portland 85-69 behind 32 points and six assists from Derrick Alston and UTEP edged Ball State 71-70.
While we’re at it, a note that escaped us a day earlier: the 2020 Diamond Head Classic will have Arizona State, Oklahoma, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Seattle University, Temple and Western Michigan join host Hawaii.
In other action on the night: Dayton took care of Grambling State 81-53, getting a career-high 30 points from Ibi Watson; Anthony Edwards had 23 points and led a rally by Georgia for a 73-64 win over Georgia Southern; SMU knocked off Georgia State 85-76, ending the Panthers’ seven-game winning streak; Siena edged Canisius 73-72 on a late three-pointer, ending the Golden Griffins’ seven-game winning streak in MAAC openers; Seattle blew out Long Beach State 79-57; and San Francisco edged Fresno State 71-69 in a dandy
The Pac-12 office reprimanded UCLA head coach Mick Cronin for his comments about officials in their loss to North Carolina in Las Vegas on Saturday. Cronin was especially critical of their first half calls, telling reporters, “The officials took the first half off. The game was officiated two separate halves. All you got to do is look at the fouls per half.”
Tennessee just lost Lamonte Turner for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, but on Monday the school announced that guard Santiago Vescovi has been added to their roster, though he likely won’t be able to compete in any games until after the new year. Vescovi most recently played for the NBA Global Academy in Australia and signed with the school last month, and while the school previously said that is it unlikely he will play this year, Turner’s injury may have changed that provided he gets cleared to play.
Speaking of guards, UNCW point guard Kai Toews has left school to return to his native Japan and pursue a pro career, a severe blow to the team. The sophomore set a CAA record for assists last season with 253 as he was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting. With junior guard Ty Gadsden out indefinitely with an injury and having played just one game this season, the Seahawks are down three guards from opening day as CAA play beckons, starting on Saturday when they head to Delaware.
Tonight’s Menu
The Morning Dish will take a day off on Christmas day as no games are on tap today, then return a day later as the final four games in the Diamond Head Classic take place on Christmas day. The times for the first two games have not been announced as of press time.
- The seventh place game will feature Portland and Ball State at either 1:30 p.m or 3:30 p.m.
- In the other time slot will be the fifth place game between Boise State and UTEP.
- At 6:30 p.m. will be the third place game between Georgia Tech and Hawaii.
- The tournament wraps up with the championship game between Houston and Washington, tipping at 8:30 p.m.
