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University of Houston Athletics
Friday, March 13
T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, Mo.
8:30 p.m.
University of Houston
28-5,14-4Big 12
69
vs
47
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Kansas
23-10,12-6Big 12
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Kansas
25
22
47
Houston
33
36
69
Photo by: USA Today Sports Images
Cenac’s Double-Double Helps #5 Men’s Basketball Past Kansas
3/13/2026 12:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Freshman forward Chris Cenac scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in rout of Jayhawks
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Freshman guard Kingston Flemings scored 21 points, freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. had 17 points and a career-high14 rebounds, and the fifth-ranked University of Houston Men's Basketall team rolled past No. 14 Kansas 69-47 in the Semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday night inside T-Mobile Center.
The second-seeded Cougars (28-5) held the third-seeded Jayhawks without a field goal for more than 10 minutes at a point in the game, ultimately breezing into another championship matchup with second-ranked and top-seeded Arizona on Saturday night.
Houston beat the Wildcats 72-64 last year for its first Big 12 Tournament title.
Darryn Peterson had 14 points to lead the Jayhawks (23-10), who had beaten the Cougars in their only regular-season matchup. But the Jayhawks were a whole lot better that night in Allen Fieldhouse than they were at T-Mobile Center, where they were 6 for 31 from the field in the second half and shot 24.6% overall in their lowest-scoring game of the season.
With the relentless defense that's become a hallmark of Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars controlled the game right from the start, making things especially difficult for Kansas big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller in the paint.
Most of the Jayhawks' offense came from Peterson as he had 12 at the break.
Things really unraveled for Kansas in the second half, though.
Houston forced Bill Self's team into missing its first 16 shots while going on a 22-2 run of its own spanning halftime. Even the bucket that mercifully ended the drought, a dunk by Bidunga with 10:42 to go, nearly rattled its way back out of the basket.
Houston led 51-31 at that point before coasting into its second consecutive championship game.
BUY TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
UP NEXT
• With a win Friday night, #5/5 (2) Houston will face #2/2 (1) Arizona in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Championship.
• The game will air on ESPN at 5 p.m.
• The winner of the tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app, Sirius XM Radio and ESPN 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.
The second-seeded Cougars (28-5) held the third-seeded Jayhawks without a field goal for more than 10 minutes at a point in the game, ultimately breezing into another championship matchup with second-ranked and top-seeded Arizona on Saturday night.
Houston beat the Wildcats 72-64 last year for its first Big 12 Tournament title.
Darryn Peterson had 14 points to lead the Jayhawks (23-10), who had beaten the Cougars in their only regular-season matchup. But the Jayhawks were a whole lot better that night in Allen Fieldhouse than they were at T-Mobile Center, where they were 6 for 31 from the field in the second half and shot 24.6% overall in their lowest-scoring game of the season.
With the relentless defense that's become a hallmark of Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars controlled the game right from the start, making things especially difficult for Kansas big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller in the paint.
Most of the Jayhawks' offense came from Peterson as he had 12 at the break.
Things really unraveled for Kansas in the second half, though.
Houston forced Bill Self's team into missing its first 16 shots while going on a 22-2 run of its own spanning halftime. Even the bucket that mercifully ended the drought, a dunk by Bidunga with 10:42 to go, nearly rattled its way back out of the basket.
Houston led 51-31 at that point before coasting into its second consecutive championship game.
BUY TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
UP NEXT
• With a win Friday night, #5/5 (2) Houston will face #2/2 (1) Arizona in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Championship.
• The game will air on ESPN at 5 p.m.
• The winner of the tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app, Sirius XM Radio and ESPN 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.
– UHCougars.com –
Team Stats
KU
UH
FG%
.246
.415
3FG%
.304
.556
FT%
.667
.789
RB
37
42
TO
8
8
STL
3
4
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F/C
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