Kingston Flemings Shoulders the Blame After Houston’s Big 12 Championship Loss

The standout freshman guard for the Cougars put the loss on himself, saying that he and Chris Cenac Jr. have to be better moving forward.

Mar 13, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) drives to the basket around Kansas Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats secured their first-ever Big 12 Tournament title with a 79-74 win over the No. 5 Houston Cougars. Head coach Kelvin Sampson's squad moved to 28-6 on the season, and will likely be a No. 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It 's clear that it was an uncomfortable night on the court for the Cougars. The usual standout freshmen for Houston, Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr., had a tough time finding any rhythm, combining for just 13 points in a game where they needed to be elite.

Joseph Tugler and Mercy Miller did their best to keep Houston within striking distance late, but the lack of production from Flemings and Cenac Jr. ultimately resulted in the Cougars coming up short.

After the contest, Flemings met with PaperCityMag's Chris Baldwin to discuss how he plans to shift his focus to the NCAA Tournament after the rough performance.

Flemings Addresses His Performance Head-On

Mar 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) shakes hands with guard Milos Uzan (7) against the Baylor Bears in the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Flemings ended his night with eight points, seven assists, and five rebounds for the Cougars. While the freshman was facilitating the offense at a high level, the shots just weren't falling for the guard. He shot just 4-of-12 from the field, a sharp drop from his usual efficiency. In his first year with the Cougars, Flemings is shooting over 47 percent from the field.

Flemings didn't shy away from his poor performance, and instead praised both Joseph Tugler and Mercy Miller for keeping Houston in the game.

"JoJo (Tugler) is consistent every single game. Me and Chris (Cenac) this game - we didn't even show up honestly," Flemings told Baldwin. "Three of the five starters did. But me and Chris really didn't...You've got to be consistent."

As Flemings mentioned, Cenac Jr. didn't have a much better night on the court against the Wildcats. He finished Saturday's game with five points, four rebounds, and two steals. The freshman forward isn't the most explosive scorer for the Cougars, but he's normally a steady contributor for the program on both sides of the court.

"Me and Chris know what we did wrong, and we're obviously taking this loss hard, but we're going to come out on Thursday and blow it out and then we'll see where we go from there."

After admitting that both freshmen need to be better moving forward, Flemings doubled down on the accountability and made it clear that he and Cenac Jr. understood the weight of their performance.

With the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament now complete, the mindset now changes for 68 basketball programs across the country. For every single team from here on out, it's win or go home. Even if the Cougars are a No. 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, that doesn't mean they can sleep through the first couple of rounds.

Flemings and Cenac Jr. have been two of Houston's most important pieces all season, and their ability to bounce back could shape how far Sampson's squad can go in March Madness.