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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Houston is now an even better version of the tough-minded bunch that ousted No. 1-seeded Arizona from the 2022 NCAA Tournament by 12 points, but the Wildcats still made it interesting this season.
They lost to Houston at McKale Center by just four points in the regular season and 72-64 on Saturday in the final of the Big 12 Tournament at T-Mobile Center, even though the No. 1-seeded Cougars dominated the Big 12 during the regular season with a 19-1 record and are considered national championship candidates.
The loss dropped Arizona to 22-12 and into Selection Sunday as a probable No. 4 or 5 NCAA Tournament seed, while Houston moved to 30-4 and is a lock for a No. 1 seed.
Before Saturday’s game, ESPN projected Arizona as a No. 5 seed in the East Region, while CBS had the Wildcats as a No. 4 seed in the West. Both sites projected the Wildcats would open in a Seattle pod next week.
No. 3-seeded Arizona led 33-28 at halftime but Houston went on a 19-6 run early in the second half to take a 56-46 lead after Milos Uzan hit a jumper with 11:43 to go. The Cougars hit 55.6% of their field goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half, including 5 of 8 3s, to go ahead.
But Arizona later scored five straight to cut Houston’s lead to 59-55 and kept the game within two possessions the rest of the way. Caleb Love hit two free throws with 1:37 left to bring UA within 66-64 but, after a missed Houston shot, was called for a travel violation on the other end.
That left Houston with a two-point lead entering the final minute, and Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis picked up a loose ball and dunked it in to give the Cougars a 68-64 lead with 43 seconds left. While the Wildcats tried pressing defensively, Houston hung on from there.
Love led Arizona with 19 points while Jaden Bradley added 14 and KJ Lewis had 11. Inside, Henri Veesaar added eight points and six rebounds.
Uzan led Houston with 25 points.
Arizona beat Texas Tech on Friday as the Red Raiders were without two of their three top scorers, and the Cougars were playing Saturday without starting forward J’Wan Roberts, who sprained his ankle in the second half of Houston’s quarterfinal win over Colorado on Thursday.
Roberts told the Houston Chronicle that he “should be good” to play in a semifinal game against BYU, but he sat out that game and Saturday’s. Houston had little incentive to play him because it appears locked into a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed no matter what happened Saturday.
“These couple of games coming up, I definitely want to be cautious so I can be 100%,” Roberts told the Chronicle, adding that if Houston trainers decide it’s best to sit out a game or two, he would “be the best teammate I can.”
In the first half, Love and the Wildcats shook off a slow start to lead at the half. They missed their first seven shots and fell behind by eight points before rallying toward the end of the half. Love finished the half with 14 points, while Bradley had five points and three rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 43.3% and outrebounded Houston 21-19 while limiting the Cougars to just 37.5% shooting, including just 3 of 11 3-pointers. Emanuel Sharp led Houston with eight points while hitting 2 of 4 3s.
Trailing 19-11 midway through the first half, Arizona went on a 10-0 run to take a 21-19 lead after Love converted a three-point play and Tobe Awaka scored inside on an assist from Veesaar.
Less than a minute later, Bradley hit a 3-pointer to give UA a 24-21 lead and bring out “U of A” chants from Arizona fans in the half-empty T-Mobile Center, and Veesaar finished the half off by dunking in a missed jumper from Love just before time expired.
Both teams combined to miss 12 of the first 13 shots in the game, before LJ Cryer hit an 8-footer nearly four minutes into the game. Arizona missed its first seven shots, trailing 5-0, before Veesaar dunked off an assist from Lewis with 15:53 to go in the half.
Houston later took a 17-9 lead when Sharp hit a wide-open 3-pointer midway through the second half, prompting UA coach Tommy Lloyd to call a timeout. Sharp also hit a jumper with 10 minutes to go but UA scored five straight, on a 3 from Carter Bryant and a layup from Love to pull within 19-16 at the nine-minute mark.
Love was one of five players named to the all-Big 12 Tournament team. Houston's Sharp was named MVP.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Wildcats lose to Houston in Big 12 Tournament championship
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They lost to Houston at McKale Center by just four points in the regular season and 72-64 on Saturday in the final of the Big 12 Tournament at T-Mobile Center, even though the No. 1-seeded Cougars dominated the Big 12 during the regular season with a 19-1 record and are considered national championship candidates.
The loss dropped Arizona to 22-12 and into Selection Sunday as a probable No. 4 or 5 NCAA Tournament seed, while Houston moved to 30-4 and is a lock for a No. 1 seed.
Before Saturday’s game, ESPN projected Arizona as a No. 5 seed in the East Region, while CBS had the Wildcats as a No. 4 seed in the West. Both sites projected the Wildcats would open in a Seattle pod next week.
No. 3-seeded Arizona led 33-28 at halftime but Houston went on a 19-6 run early in the second half to take a 56-46 lead after Milos Uzan hit a jumper with 11:43 to go. The Cougars hit 55.6% of their field goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half, including 5 of 8 3s, to go ahead.
But Arizona later scored five straight to cut Houston’s lead to 59-55 and kept the game within two possessions the rest of the way. Caleb Love hit two free throws with 1:37 left to bring UA within 66-64 but, after a missed Houston shot, was called for a travel violation on the other end.
That left Houston with a two-point lead entering the final minute, and Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis picked up a loose ball and dunked it in to give the Cougars a 68-64 lead with 43 seconds left. While the Wildcats tried pressing defensively, Houston hung on from there.
Love led Arizona with 19 points while Jaden Bradley added 14 and KJ Lewis had 11. Inside, Henri Veesaar added eight points and six rebounds.
Uzan led Houston with 25 points.
Arizona beat Texas Tech on Friday as the Red Raiders were without two of their three top scorers, and the Cougars were playing Saturday without starting forward J’Wan Roberts, who sprained his ankle in the second half of Houston’s quarterfinal win over Colorado on Thursday.
Roberts told the Houston Chronicle that he “should be good” to play in a semifinal game against BYU, but he sat out that game and Saturday’s. Houston had little incentive to play him because it appears locked into a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed no matter what happened Saturday.
“These couple of games coming up, I definitely want to be cautious so I can be 100%,” Roberts told the Chronicle, adding that if Houston trainers decide it’s best to sit out a game or two, he would “be the best teammate I can.”
In the first half, Love and the Wildcats shook off a slow start to lead at the half. They missed their first seven shots and fell behind by eight points before rallying toward the end of the half. Love finished the half with 14 points, while Bradley had five points and three rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 43.3% and outrebounded Houston 21-19 while limiting the Cougars to just 37.5% shooting, including just 3 of 11 3-pointers. Emanuel Sharp led Houston with eight points while hitting 2 of 4 3s.
Trailing 19-11 midway through the first half, Arizona went on a 10-0 run to take a 21-19 lead after Love converted a three-point play and Tobe Awaka scored inside on an assist from Veesaar.
Less than a minute later, Bradley hit a 3-pointer to give UA a 24-21 lead and bring out “U of A” chants from Arizona fans in the half-empty T-Mobile Center, and Veesaar finished the half off by dunking in a missed jumper from Love just before time expired.
Both teams combined to miss 12 of the first 13 shots in the game, before LJ Cryer hit an 8-footer nearly four minutes into the game. Arizona missed its first seven shots, trailing 5-0, before Veesaar dunked off an assist from Lewis with 15:53 to go in the half.
Houston later took a 17-9 lead when Sharp hit a wide-open 3-pointer midway through the second half, prompting UA coach Tommy Lloyd to call a timeout. Sharp also hit a jumper with 10 minutes to go but UA scored five straight, on a 3 from Carter Bryant and a layup from Love to pull within 19-16 at the nine-minute mark.
Love was one of five players named to the all-Big 12 Tournament team. Houston's Sharp was named MVP.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Wildcats lose to Houston in Big 12 Tournament championship
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