Houston holds on to defeat Arizona in Big 12 tournament championship

The first half of Saturday’s Big 12 tournament championship looked like an upset was brewing. No. 3 seed Arizona held a lead over top-seeded Houston, looking to pull off an upset in the title game.

The Cougars were able to turn the tables after halftime, though, and the game turned into a thriller down the stretch. Ultimately, Houston came away with the win to clinch the Big 12 tournament title.

Arizona went up 33-28 at halftime after controlling the tempo. After the break, though, Houston tied things up just before the under-12 minute media timeout and got its lead to as much as 10 points in the second half.

The Wildcats didn’t go down quietly, though. They clawed their way back and jumped back out in front, 62-61, with 5:33 to go in the game. That set the stage for an exciting finish at T-Mobile Center.

Houston was able to get a five-point flurry to go into the under-4 minute media break up 66-62. Arizona got two free throws from Caleb Love to get back within a possession, but Ja’Vier Francis threw down a big-time dunk to put the Cougars back up 68-64 with 42.5 seconds remaining, and they ended the game on an 11-2 run to seal the victory.

Milos Uzan led the charge for Houston, dropping a career-high 25 points to lead all scorers. Emanuel Sharp also added 15 as the Cougars shot better than 42% from the floor.

On the Arizona side, Love had a team-leading 19 points while Jaden Bradley had 14. They both made some big plays in the second half to keep the Wildcats in the mix, but it ultimately wasn’t enough as Houston came away with the win.

Inside Houston, Arizona’s NCAA tournament resumes

Houston entered Saturday’s game firmly on the 1-seed line in On3’s James Fletcher III’s latest Bracketology. The Cougars were one of three teams with strong chances of being a top seed, along with Auburn and Duke, and they sealed that fate with the win over Arizona. Kelvin Sampson’s group entered the Big 12 tournament championship ranked No. 3 in the NET rankings with a 12-3 record in Quadrant 1 games.

As for Arizona, the Wildcats came in as a No. 3 seed in the updated Bracketology projections. They entered Saturday at No. 12 in the NET with a 10-9 record in Q1 matchups, but had a hot streak through conference play to eventually finish with a 14-6 record as the No. 3 seed in the tournament bracket.

Now, all eyes will turn to CBS Sunday evening for the NCAA tournament bracket reveal show. It will get underway Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.