2 Takeaways From No. 2 Houston Cougars' Home Loss to No. 4 Arizona Wildcats
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With Big 12 regular season title implications on the line, the No. 2 Houston Cougars needed to cash the opportunity of arguably the most important game of a three-game top-10 gauntlet, right on its home court.
But despite a second-half regroup of 12 points from freshman guard Kingston Flemings and nine rebounds from freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., just four made field goals in the final 12:56 and a flurry of foul trouble led to Houston dropping the first-ever top-five matchup inside Fertitta Center, a 73-66 loss to No. 4 Arizona Saturday.
With the Wildcats earning the tiebreaker, Houston may not be in a position to win the league on the final day of the regular season, now sitting at 11-3 in Big 12 play and having experienced back-to-back losses for the first time since Jan. 13, 2024, in its loss to TCU in its third league game in program history.
Factoring in a game-leading 22 points off the bench by senior guard Anthony Dell'Orso and nine rebounds from freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov for Arizona, here are two takeaways in depth that defined Houston's inability to close the game.
Shooting drought plunges to an in-game season-high
At 12:57 of the second half, a mid-range jumper from Cenac gave Houston a 48-46 lead to open up the frame on a 17-10 start.
That would end up being Houston's last lead of the game, and for 10 straight shot attempts and a season-high 10:27, its last make from the floor before Flemings' left-wing triple with under two and a half minutes left.
For the bulk of the game, the physicality of the Big 12's best rebounding team played a factor into Houston missing multiple good looks when it mattered most.
Despite winning the boards plus-2 with the help of 21 combined between Cenac and Flemings, the Cougars finished shooting just 36% from the floor, leaving questions as to whether or not it's just one funk.
Time and time again though, with taking tough losses in streaks or individually, one can never doubt the possibility of a new offensive groove translating to a deep run in the tournament.
Double-digit turnovers reach a three-game streak
In the first half alone, seven turnovers and 20 paint points put Houston at just its second halftime deficit at Fertitta Center as a Big 12 member.
The previous instance? Houston's 82-81 overtime loss to Texas Tech on Feb. 1, 2025, which became the only mark of a 19-win conference campaign while going a perfect 10-0 on the road.
Now, in the same season, Houston has experienced the brunt in both settings for the first time in its Big 12 tenure and the first time since the 2021-22 campaign, its second-to-last in the American.
And even though it's part of a three-game top-10 gauntlet, the 12 turnovers today marked the third-straight game Houston finished with double-digit turnovers, dating back to a home season-high 15 of them against Kansas State on Feb. 14.
In all, it led to 16 Arizona points off turnovers and multiple missed scoring opportunities in return.
With four Big 12 games remaining and the last game of the gauntlet coming up, a get-right opportunity is in order for the Cougars to find a rhythm in ball security.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.