No. 2 Houston Cougars vs No. 4 Arizona Wildcats Live Updates, Box Score
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It could very well be the game of the year. The No. 2 Houston Cougars are back home as they face the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats in the first top-five home matchup in program history. Houston is 23-3 on the season and 11-2 in conference, while Arizona is 24-2 and 11-2 in the Big 12 as well.
This is a true heavyweight battle between two of the best teams in the country that are currently placed first and second in the Big 12. This matchup on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. likely will decide who wins the Big 12 regular season title. Normally, it is rare for college basketball game to be on ABC, but this one will be.
The stakes are so high in this one, and it feels like this could be a potential Final Four or national championship type game. In their long storied history, the Cougars have never hosted a top-five matchup on home court, but Fertitta Center finally gets that honor. Houston is 5-4 all-time in top-five battles.
This is one of the biggest tests of the season for Houston, and it has been placed firmly between the two toughest road games of the year. It has been an absolute gauntlet for the Cougars this time of year, coming off a tough 70-67 loss to Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum on Monday. Kansas awaits this Monday.
Against Iowa State, Houston was led by freshman phenom point guard Kingston Flemings with 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists while senior point guard Emanuel Sharp added 16 points Flemings is the leading scorer for the Cougars with 16.6 points and 5.3 assists per game. Sharp, now the all-time leading 3-pointer shooter in Houston history, is right behind him with 16.5 PPG. Freshman big man Chris Cenac Jr. is the leading rebounder with 7.6 RPG, among the top 10 in the Big 12.
Coogs vs Wildcats
Arizona started the season off with a 23-game winning streak, but lost two games in a row last week at Kansas and then against Texas Tech at home in overtime. The Wildcats bounced back this week with a home win over No. 23 BYU 75-68 on Wednesday.
Arizona was led by senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso off the bench with 22 points, thanks to four 3-pointers, and four rebounds. Overall this season, freshman guard Brayden Burries leads five Wildcats averaging double-digits with 15.5 PPG. Freshman forward Koa Peat is second in points, but will not play due to injury. Senior point guard Jayden Bradley is third with 13.3 PPG and a team high 4.7 APG.
Junior center Motiejus Krivas averages 10.8 PPG and is second with 8.7 rebounds. Head coach Tommy Lloyd is in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach at Arizona with a 136-35 record, but is 0-3 vs Houston and Kelvin Sampson.
The Wildcats are 6-1 on the road this season. Houston has an 18-game home winning streak and are 122-7 all-time in Fertitta Center. Houston leads the all-time series 8-6 and it has won the last three meetings. In the most recent matchup, the Cougars won the Big 12 tournament title over Arizona 72-64. Houston is 4-2 at home against Arizona, but have lost two out of the last three. This is the first time UH has played U of A at Fertitta.
Houston faces off against Arizona at home in the Fertitta Center. Be sure to check back here at tipoff for live updates as the game goes on.
Follow below for live updates as the game progresses.
Live Updates
1st Half | 2nd Half | FINAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 31 | 35 | 66 |
Arizona | 36 | 37 | 73 |
Starting Lineup: G Kingston Flemings, G Milos Uzan, G Emanuel Sharp, F Joseph Tugler, F Chris Cenac Jr.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 2, Arizona 9
Turnover on the first offensive play for Houston, and Awaka attacks the paint for the first points of the game. Bradley gets a shot to go and Cenac Jr. responds. Houston struggling overall early.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 11, Arizona 18
Uzan hits a much needed 3-pointer, but got beat on the next play by Bradley. Flemings turns it over and it results in another and-one. Harwell responds with three and so does McCarty. Arizona still maintaining a solid lead.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 19, Arizona 25
Dell'Orso drew a foul on Flemings and got the and-one. Tugler made an incredible shot and got the and-one as it became a four point game. Houston's 3-pointers were keeping them in the game.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 22, Arizona 32
Arizona's defense remains difficult for Houston to get consistent shots, while Bradley is showing off for the Wildcats with a nice no-look pass to Dell'Orso after an offensive rebound. Dell'Orso is having himself a game so far and hit a big-time 3-pointer.
HALFTIME: Houston 31, Arizona 36
Besides free throws, there was not much offense for Houston. Flemings finally came to life, and brought some energy back into the building. Houston cuts the deficit to five at the half. Dell'Orso has 14 for Zona and Sharp has seven for UH. Arizona has double the points in the paint. The five missed free throws for the Wildcats have been big.
Under 16 Timeout: Houston 39, Arizona 42
Houston goes on an 8-2 run and cuts the lead down to one point. Kharchenkov is going to work for Arizona. Cenac Jr. is getting a lot of action inside and Sharp hit a big 3-pointer from the corner.
Under 12 Timeout: Houston 50, Arizona 48
Houston has been able to attack better in the paint and the offense looks more connected. Uzan drains a clutch 3-pointer for the first lead of the game, and the two teams go back and forth at the basket.
Under 8 Timeout: Houston 50, Arizona 53
Dell'Orso has just taken the game over, and it has started to get chippy with the fouls.
Under 4 Timeout: Houston 52, Arizona 60
Houston's offense has stalled completely over the past six minutes as Arizona goes on a 10-0 run and takes a 10 point lead with just under five minutes to go. The Wildcats have made some key second chance points.
FINAL: Houston 66, Arizona 73
Bradley hit a massive mid-range to answer a Flemings 3-pointer and Arizona calmly made all its free throws late. Dell'Orso was the leading scorer with 22 points and Bradley came up clutch with 17 as well. Flemings was the leading scorer with 17, while Sharp added 14. Houston's 12 turnovers were a key issue.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.