Ncaa Basketball: No. 4 Arizona Beats No. 2 Houston, Takes Sole Lead in Big 12

In a pivotal ncaa basketball result, 4th-ranked Arizona defeated No. 2 Houston 73-66 on the road Saturday afternoon, a win that moves Arizona (25-2, 12-2) into sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with four games to go. The Wildcats also now hold the tiebreaker over Houston (23-4, 11-3) since this was their only regular season meeting.

Ncaa Basketball: Defense and turnovers flipped the game

Arizona’s defense was the decisive factor. Houston shot 35. 7 percent and missed 11 straight shots in the second half, going 4-of-19 after taking its final lead at 48-46 with 12: 57 to play. The Cougars committed 12 turnovers (they averaged a Division I-low 8. 2 per game), which produced 16 points for the Wildcats and swung momentum into Arizona’s favor.

Tommy Lloyd’s milestone and the long road to this win

It took four years and three tries, but Tommy Lloyd and Arizona finally got revenge: Lloyd has now beaten every team in the Big 12. The Cougars were the last Big 12 school Arizona had yet to beat under Lloyd, having lost the previous three meetings including in the 2022 Sweet 16 and in last year’s Big 12 Tournament final.

Key performances and rotations

Anthony Dell’Orso delivered his second straight big game, scoring 22 off the bench and adding a career-high four steals. Jaden Bradley finished with 17 points and made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 1: 10. Ivan Kharchenkov added 16 points. Freshman Kingston Flemings led the Cougars with 17 points (6-of-17 from the field) while Emanuel Sharp scored 14 on 2-of-11 shooting.

Koa Peat missed his second straight game with a muscle strain in his lower leg area, and Dwayne Aristode sat out a third game with an illness. Dell’Orso played 34 minutes off the bench while Sidi Gueye and Evan Nelson combined for 17 minutes, even subbing each other in an offense/defense move late after Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas both fouled out.

Free throws, fouls and the fouled-out pair

The UA was 20-of-31 from the line, with a five-miss streak late in the first half before converting 10-of-12 down the stretch. Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas both picked up their third fouls in a slump when the Wildcats missed seven of eight shots; both would later foul out. Awaka and Krivas combined for just 11 points but contributed 11 rebounds and three of UA’s nine steals.

Turning points, the 12-0 run and late-game sequence

Arizona led 36-31 at halftime, only the second time Houston had trailed at the half in a Big 12 game since joining the league in 2023-24. The Cougars closed to 40-39 on a Flemings 3-point play with 16: 35 left and then took their first lead at 44-42 on a Milos Uzan 3 with 14: 16 remaining. A Kharchenkov layup tied it after a timeout, and then Dell’Orso hit a 3 to put the Wildcats up 51-50 with 11: 34 to play off a set play following a staggered double screen. That sequence began a 12-0 Arizona run that consumed six minutes and extended into a 60-50 lead with 5: 30 remaining after a Bradley jumper. Brayden Burries scored four during that stretch, including a putback in traffic.

Burries, who needed an IV after Wednesday’s win over BYU, finished with seven points on 1-of-5 shooting but was 3-of-4 from the line in the last minute.

What’s next and the interrupted narrative

Houston will visit No. 9 Kansas on Monday trying to avoid a 3-game losing streak. The provided game account ends abruptly with the fragment "Houston finally ended its droug"; details beyond that fragment are unclear in the provided context.

Context note

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