BYU Falls to Houston in Big 12 Semifinals, Awaits NCAA Tournament Destination

Casey Lundquist | Mar 14, 2025

Mar 14, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) dribbles against Houston Cougars guard L.J. Cryer (4) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

On Friday, Houston eliminated BYU from the Big 12 tournament with a dominant 74-54 win. Houston got out to a 15-0 lead and BYU never recovered. BYU trimmed Houston's lead to as little as seven later in the first half, but Houston responded with a run of their own and took a 21-point lead into the locker room.

If not for the slow start, BYU might have had a chance to be competitive in this game. Instead, it felt similar to the last time these two teams met in the regular season: Houston outclassed BYU.

Seemingly anytime BYU went on a run to threaten to get back into the game, Houston would respond with a run of their own.

The lone bright spot of the game for BYU was Keba Keita. Keita was dominant at times in the second half. If he can become a more consistent scoring threat, the Cougars will be a very tough out in the NCAA Tournament. Keita finished with a team high 14 points on 6/9 from the field.

BYU is locked into the NCAA Tournament and will be a favored seed. Whether they are a 5-seed, a 6-seed, or a 7-seed remains to be seen.