The challenges Ole Miss and Michigan presented during the preseason were designed to help No. 10 Houston hit the ground running when the regular season tipped off.
The Cougars responded with a 94-55 home victory over La Salle in their season opener Monday. Their game against Cal on Sunday in Stateline, Nev., represents the next step in preparing for the rigors of the Big 12 schedule.
“We got a lot out of the Ole Miss scrimmage. I think we got a lot out of the Michigan exhibition game because they played all their main guys,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “So did we.
“The game (against La Salle), they played hard. They were scrapping, fighting. That was good for us.”
Dedan Thomas Jr. led five Cougars in double figures with 16 points and tied Mercy Miller and Corey Hadnot II for the team lead with five assists. Hadnot added 14 points.
Cal (2-0) earned an 84-70 victory over visiting Radford on Wednesday despite the absence of head coach Mark Madsen, who was attending to an emergency. Associate head coach Adam Mazarei led the team in his absence and said Madsen should be back on the bench against Houston.
“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Mazarei said.
The Golden Bears made a program-record 17 3-pointers against Radford and finished with more baskets from beyond the arc than inside it, converting 12 of 24 attempts from two-point range.
Cal has emphasized shot selection since the conclusion of its exhibition schedule, encouraging players to shoot confidently from the perimeter and not be discouraged by stretches of inaccuracy from long range.
“I say we get a lot of reps up,” forward Jake Wilkins said. “We’re always shooting after practice, before practice. We know that we can all shoot. We rep it out so much that if nothing is going for us, we know that we can shoot the ball.”
The Golden Bears are shooting 48.3% from 3-point range and have attempted 58 shots from beyond the arc through two games. La Salle attempted 39 3-pointers against Houston but made just eight.
“It’s who they are,” Sampson said of the Golden Bears. “Every team has a way they want to win the game. If you’re shooting that many 3s, it means you’ve got a lot of guys that can make it, and that’s what makes them dangerous.
“We’ve played against a lot of teams over the years that are 3-point driven. We’ll see if we can get these kids ready to see that. We’re still learning. It’ll be a good challenge for us.”
Houston’s defensive-minded reputation is well-earned and regularly motivates opponents. The Golden Bears expressed enthusiasm for the challenge ahead.
“That’s one of the hardest-playing teams in the country,” said guard Nojus Indrusaitis, who scored 30 points and made six 3-pointers against Radford. “Great coach, great system, so I’m super excited for the opportunity. Let’s get after it.
“They’re going to play hard. We’ve got to match that intensity. Yeah, we’ll see.”