Ncaa Basketball: No. 4 Arizona beats No. 2 Houston, takes sole Big 12 lead
No. 4 Arizona defeated No. 2 Houston 73-66 on the road, a victory that propels the Wildcats into sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with four games to go. The result matters immediately: Arizona now holds the season tiebreaker over Houston and has closed the gap atop the conference standings.
Ncaa Basketball: Arizona moves into sole possession of first place
The 73-66 road win improved Arizona to 25-2 overall and 12-2 in Big 12 play; Houston fell to 23-4 and 11-3. Because this was the teams’ only regular-season meeting, Arizona now owns the tiebreaker over the Cougars. With four games remaining on its schedule, Arizona occupies first place alone. Houston, meanwhile, will travel to No. 9 Kansas on Monday in an effort to stop what would otherwise become a three-game losing streak.
Fertitta Center: a rare home loss and defensive breakdown for Houston
The Wildcats’ win was only the second time Houston has lost at the Fertitta Center in Big 12 play since joining the conference in 2023-24. Arizona’s defense was decisive: Houston shot 35. 7 percent, went 4-for-19 after taking its final lead at 48-46 with 12: 57 remaining, and missed 11 straight shots in the second half. The Cougars turned the ball over 12 times—despite averaging a Division I-low 8. 2 turnovers per game—which produced 16 points for Arizona and swung momentum.
Tommy Lloyd’s breakthrough against Houston and rotation notes
Tommy Lloyd finally checked off the last Big 12 opponent he had not beaten under his tenure, completing a run that took four years and three tries; Houston had beaten Arizona in their prior three meetings, including in the 2022 Sweet 16 and last year’s Big 12 Tournament final. Several roster particulars shaped the game: Koa Peat missed his second straight contest with a muscle strain in his lower leg area, and Dwayne Aristode sat out a third straight game with an illness. Those absences stretched the rotation—Anthony Dell’Orso logged 34 minutes off the bench, while Sidi Gueye and Evan Nelson combined for 17 minutes and even subbed for one another in an offense/defense swap late after Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas fouled out.
Anthony Dell’Orso and key scoring contributions
Dell’Orso produced his second straight 22-point outing off the bench and added a career-high four steals. Jaden Bradley finished with 17 points and sank 5 of 6 free throws in the final 1: 10, while Ivan Kharchenkov contributed 16. Freshman Kingston Flemings led Houston with 17 points but shot 6-of-17 from the field; Emanuel Sharp had 14 on 2-of-11 shooting. Bradley’s jumper and a Dell’Orso 3-pointer—set up after a media timeout and a staggered double screen—helped key a 12-0 Arizona run that lasted six minutes and turned a tie into a 60-50 lead with 5: 30 remaining.
Free throws, fouls and closing sequence
Free-throw execution and foul trouble shaped the final stretch. Arizona was 20-of-31 from the line overall, having missed five consecutive attempts late in the first half but converting 10 of 12 down the stretch. Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas both picked up their third fouls during a scoreless stretch, later fouling out; together they produced 11 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and accounted for three of Arizona’s nine steals. Brayden Burries, who had needed an IV after Wednesday’s win over BYU, scored seven points on 1-of-5 shooting and made 3 of 4 free throws in the last minute.
What makes this notable is that Arizona secured the season tiebreaker over a Houston team that typically protects the ball—an outcome created by a defense that forced unusual turnover volume and a second-half shooting collapse. The provided account ends mid-sentence with the fragment 'Houston finally ended its droug'; the continuation is unclear in the provided context.
