The Good, Bad and Ugly of No. 2 Houston Cougars’ Tough Loss to No. 4 Arizona
In this story:
The No. 2 Houston Cougars fell to the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats 73-66 at home in the Fertitta Center in what was the first top-five home matchup for the Cougars in program history.
This was the middle game of a daunting three-game gauntlet for Houston, and the Cougars have now lost the first two of those. This was the 2nd home loss in 3 seasons since joining the Big 12 and the first back-to-back losses since starting Big 12 play in January 2024.
Houston lost first place in the Big 12 to Arizona as the Cougars dropped to 23-4 and 11-3 in conference. Arizona is now at the top of the conference with a 25-2 overall record and 12-2 in the Big 12. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings was the leading scorer for Houston with 17 points, while senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso put up 22 for Arizona.
Here’s the good, bad, and ugly.
Good: Physicality and Second Half Run
Houston’s energy and effort were at its usual level in this one. The Cougars outrebounded Arizona 39-37, and the team had plenty of opportunities to go out and get it done. However, Arizona was clearly up for the challenge. The Wildcats took the early lead and looked in position to make it commanding, but Houston hit a couple of crucial 3-pointers that kept the game within striking distance.
Senior guard Emanuel Sharp and senior point guard Milos Uzan made a couple of big 3-pointers. So did freshman guard Isiah Harwell and freshman forward Chase McCarty.
The Cougars came out of the second half with a 13-4 run, led by Flemings. Houston’s offense looked much more connected in the early period of the second half. That was also due to the shots finally falling. Flemings stopped hesitating and went all out in attack. Houston looked to be in a good position up 50-48 with just over 12 minutes left.
Bad: Poor Start and the Paint
Houston was down 9-2 early and got bodied in the paint. It was a struggle in rebounding early, as the deficit increased to 14-5 and it was eventually 32-22 with just over four minutes left.
Arizona was doing a great job on Flemings early in the game, whether it was through various double teams that discouraged him from attacking. Houston went through a stretch of almost eight minutes in the first half where it failed to make a field goal. Although the Cougars had the advantage in offensive rebounding, they could only manage 12 second-chance points off 13 offensive boards.
Meanwhile, Arizona got 20 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds. The fact was the Wildcats took proper advantage of their opportunities. U of A loves to score in the paint, and that showed up big time in this one where Arizona got 38 paint points compared to 20 for Houston.
Ugly: Turnovers and Offensive Drought
A more than 7-minute scoring drought by Houston was what ultimately decided the game. The Cougars got the 50-48 lead with just under 12 minutes to go and were unable to take advantage. If Houston kept it going and scored on the ensuing possessions, the story could’ve been different. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the turnovers continued to hurt them.
The Cougars gave up a 12-0 run after taking that lead. A couple of turnovers and missed shots gave Arizona plenty of chances to increase its lead, and that is exactly what it did.
The Cougars had three turnovers in the first four minutes of the game, which is uncharacteristic. Two of them were from Tugler. The four turnovers resulted in eight early points. Houston had a total of 12 turnovers that gave 16 points to the Wildcats. That was the key statistic. UH could only force five turnovers and got just three points off them.
Houston got just two steals and, along with the turnovers, it prevented the Cougars from going on the fast break and getting points that way. The Wildcats missed a lot of shots from the line. Although Arizona got nine more attempts from the line, it went just 20/31 (65%).
This game started to get super physical as the clock approached the five-minute mark. The fouls were getting quite hard, and the home crowd got impatient. Four players for Houston had four fouls, and Awaka and Krivas both fouled out for Arizona.
Houston will look to get a much-needed bounce-back performance on Big Monday at Allen Fieldhouse against No. 8 Kansas.
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.