Though both Houston and SMU have solid guards who know how to get the ball in the basket, Sunday’s battle in Texas will involve two teams that also rank in the top 20 nationally in points allowed on a per-possession basis.
Despite not having starter Tyson Jolly in the lineup all season, SMU is off to a 6-0 start with five players averaging more than 10 points per game and three of them shooting over 41 percent from 3-point range.
Houston will look to stymie that with a defense that is ranked 14th in the nation in 3-point shooting defense, allowing opponents to make just 23.8 percent of their 3-pointers.
Houston also gets a big addition in preseason AAC Player of the Year Caleb Mills, who missed almost a month due to injury but has played the past two games and scored more than 10 points in each.
Both teams also have stout interior defense — Houston ranks fourth in percentage of opponents’ shots they block, and SMU is 23rd in this category. SMU is also 29th in opponents’ 2-point shooting percentage.
With Houston also rating eighth in the country in percentage of possessions on defense on which they force a steal and also being just 245th in 3-point shooting percentage, this has the makings of a very defensive affair.
The play: Houston-SMU total, Under 137 points.