PREVIEW: #2/2 Men’s Basketball Hosts #4/4 Arizona on Saturday

Saturday, February 21

Houston

2 p.m.

University of Houston

Arizona

Chris Cenac Jr. is announced during starting lineups at a game inside Fertitta Center

PREVIEW: #2/2 Men’s Basketball Hosts #4/4 Arizona on Saturday

2/20/2026 10:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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Coogs set for first Top-Five home matchup in program history

HOUSTON – For the first time in program history, the University of Houston Men's Basketball team will play host to a Top-Five matchup when the second-ranked Cougars meet #4/4 Arizona at 2 p.m., Saturday, inside Fertitta Center in a game presented by ICON Consultants.

Saturday's game features the top two teams atop the Big 12 Conference standings with the winner grabbing sole possession of the league lead.

While this is the first home Top-Five matchup in school history, the Cougars are no strangers to this game. Houston has posted a 5-4 record in Top-Five matchups at all sites during its history, including both games at the 2025 NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.

Houston enters Saturday's game following a touch 70-67 road loss at #6/6 Iowa State in Ames Iowa, on Monday night. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings poured in 22 points with four 3-pointers, five rebounds and four assists while senior guard Emanuel Sharp totaled 16 points with four treys of his own.

Freshman center/forward Chris Cenac snared a game-high 12 rebounds against the Cyclones and leads the Cougars and ranks among the Big 12 Top-10 leaders with 7.6 boards per contest.

This season, Flemings leads the Cougars with 16.6 points and 5.3 assists per game and tops the Cougar guards with a 49.7 field goal percentage (161-of-324). Sharp stands second on the team with 16.5 points per game and move past guard Marcus Sasser as the school's career 3-point field goal leader earlier this month.

The Cougars have posted a 122-7 (.946) home record inside Fertitta Center during the facility's history with wins in the last 18 games and 51 of the last 52 contests. The current 18-game winning streak stands as the nation's eighth-longest active streak.

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday's game is presented by ICON Consultants.
• Fans can view Saturday's digital game program by clicking here.
• The first 500 current UH students at Saturday's game will receive a limited-edition replica jersey used during the 2021 NCAA Final Four run, courtesy of Lewis Jewelers.
• Prior to the game, Junior Gordon will perform the national anthem.
• Prior to tipoff, Heisman Trophy, Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee and legendary Cougar quarterback André Ware will lead fans in the Whose House chant.

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ONE PIECE GIVEAWAYS
• For the second straight home game, Houston Men's Basketball will collaborate with ONE PIECE to provide giveaways to all fans inside Fertitta Center.
• Once Saturday's game ends, 7,000 limited-edition posters and 7,000 unique trading cards will be given out with one trading card and one poster per person at the Cullen Boulevard / Holman Street and Marrs Club exits.
• Fans looking for a quick exit from Fertitta Center can bypass the giveaway lines and use designated express lanes at the Cullen Boulevard, Holman Street or Marrs Club doors. These lanes will be clearly marked with signage in the arena.
• For more information about the collaboration with ONE PIECE and the giveaways, fans can visit UHCougars.com/onepiece.

NOTES
• The 2025-26 Cougars are the 22^nd team in school history to post 23+ victories in a season. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has led his 15^th team to a 23+-win season during his award-winning career.
• With Monday's rankings, Houston will be ranked in the last 121 Associated Press polls for the nation's longest active streak. The Cougars' 26 straight weeks in the AP Top 10 is the nation's second-longest current streak.

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Saturday's game on ABC with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst).
• Fans can hear Saturday's game on 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app and SiriusXM Ch. 106 or Ch. 198 with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes. The pregame show begins at 1:45 p.m., Saturday.
• Fans also can listen to the game on Westwood One with Kevin Kugler (pxp) and Nick Bahe (analyst).
• Fans can follow live stats from Saturday's game on StatBroadcast.

BUY TICKETS
Single-game home tickets for all games inside Fertitta Center are now on sale, and fans are encouraged to purchase quickly while supplies last. The two-time defending Big 12 Conference Champions, Houston will play host to three more conference games in 2025-26.

Fans interested in purchasing group tickets may complete this form to be contacted by a member of the Houston Athletics Tickets Sales staff.

Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.

ABOUT ARIZONA
• Arizona enters Saturday's game with a 24-2 overall record. The Wildcats are 11-2 in Big 12 Conference play to tie with Houston for first in the league.
• With Wednesday's home win over BYU, Arizona snapped a two-game losing streak. Those losses snapped the Wildcats' 23-game winning streak to start the season.
• The Wildcats are 6-1 in road games this season.
• In its most recent action, Arizona took a 75-68 win over #23/22 BYU in Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday night.
• Against BYU, senior guard Anthony Dell'Orso came off the bench to posted 22 points, thanks to four 3-pointers, and added four rebounds and a steal. Freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov totaled 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and tied with junior center Motiejus Krivas for team-high honors with seven rebounds. Senior guard Jaden Bradley finished with 12 points, four rebounds and a game-high 10 assists while freshman guard Brayden Burries totaled 11 points with two rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in the win.
• This season, Burries leads five Wildcats averaging double digits with 15.5 points and 1.7 3-point field goals per game. Freshman forward Koa Peat is second with 13.8 points per game. Bradley stands third with 13.3 points per game but leads the team with 4.7 assists per contest. Krivas averages 10.8 points per game and is second with 8.7 rebounds per contest. Kharchenkov is fifth among the Wildcats with 10.0 points per game but leads the team with 1.9 blocks per game while senior forward Tobe Awa averages a team-high 9.6 rebounds per contest.
Head Coach: Tommy Lloyd is in his fifth season at Arizona and as a collegiate head coach.
• Lloyd has built a 136-35 record with Arizona and during his career.
• Lloyd has posted an 0-3 record against Houston during his career.
• Lloyd has compiled an 0-3 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• Lloyd is a 1998 graduate of Whitman.

SERIES HISTORY vs. ARIZONA
• Houston owns an 8-6 lead against Arizona in the series, which began during the 1967-68 season.
• Saturday's game will be the lone regular-season meeting against Arizona during the 2025-26 season.
• This marks the second straight season in which the two schools will square off as Big 12 Conference rivals.
• Houston has won the last three meetings against Arizona for the Cougars' longest winning streak in the series Those three wins snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats.
• In the most recent #2/2 (1) Houston took a 72-64 win during the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Title Game inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., on March 15, 2025.
• In the series' first meeting, #2 Houston enjoyed an 81-67 win in Tucson, Ariz., on December 22, 1967.
at Home: The Cougars have posted a 4-2 record in home games played in Houston during the series history.
• Arizona won the last meeting and has won two of the last three games played in Houston. Only a 69-65 win over the #15/13 Wildcats inside Hofheinz Pavilion on December 3, 2005, prevents a longer Arizona winning streak.
• In the most recent home meeting, –/rv Houston dropped an 85-71 decision to the rv/#24 Wildcats inside Hofheinz Pavilion on December 12, 2008.
• In the first home encounter, #6 Houston claimed an 85-64 win inside Delmar Fieldhouse on December 5, 1968
in Fertitta Center: Saturday's game will be the first time Houston has faced Arizona inside Fertitta Center.

UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, the Cougars meet #8/12 Kansas at 8 p.m., Monday, February 23, inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. That game will air on ESPN.
• Houston returns to Fertitta Center to play host to Colorado at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 28. That game will air on ESPN or ESPN2.
• The Cougars continue their homestand when they face Baylor on Senior Night at 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, inside Fertitta Center. That game will air on ESPN2.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app and Sirius XM Radio.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

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