#5 Houston Falls to Top-Seeded Arizona in Big 12 Tournament Championship

Saturday, March 14

T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, Mo.

5 p.m.

University of Houston

28-6,14-4Big 12

Arizona

32-2,16-2Big 12

Houston

Arizona

joseph tugler shooting ball over defender

#5 Houston Falls to Top-Seeded Arizona in Big 12 Tournament Championship

3/14/2026 11:24:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference (YouTube)Game Book (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Junior forward Joseph Tugler posted a career-high 20 points in 79-75 loss

Joseph Tugler, Recap vs. Arizona Graphic

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) –The #5/5 (2) University of Houston Men's Basketball team fell to #2/2 (1) Arizona, 79-74, in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Championship game inside T-Mobile Center on Saturday evening.

Junior forward Joseph Tugler had a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for the second-seeded Cougars (28-6). Sophomore guard Mercy Miller added 13 points.

Koa Peat and Brayden Burries had 21 points, and Jaden Bradley added 13 for the Wildcats (32-2).

Houston, which beat the Wildcats 72-64 in its title game debut a year ago, trailed 75-66 with just over a minute to go before Miller and senior point guard Milos Uzan hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

But when Peat missed a jumper with 22 seconds to go, Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas gathered the rebound and was fouled under the bucket. He made both free throws to extend the Wildcats' lead.

The Cougars missed a pair of layups at the other end, and by the time Miller was fouled and made two free throws, there was just 13.2 seconds to go. Burries was fouled on the inbound pass.

The championship matchup - one befitting of a Final Four - was close throughout the first half until Burries, who'd missed 11 straight shots going back to a quarterfinal win over UCF, finally got hot for Arizona. He hit four in a row late in the first half, scoring the Wildcats' last 10 points and giving them a 44-36 advantage at the break.

They stretched the advantage to 15 points in the second half as the game became more physical.

Houston was trailing 59-44 when it finally went on a run, scoring 14 straight points to nearly draw even.

But Burries answered with a 3-point play and Ivan Kharchenko scored on three straight trips down floor for the Wildcats.

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UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, the Cougars wait to learn their postseason destination during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. That show airs at 5 p.m., Sunday, on CBS.
• Fans are invited to watch the show with Coach Kelvin Sampson and the team during the Coogs Selection Sunday Fan Fest and Watch Party hosted by LinkingCoogs. The fun begins at 3 p.m., inside Fertitta Center with a variety of games and activities throughout the arena. Fans can purchase Fan Fest and Watch Party tickets by clicking here. FREE parking will be available in the Stadium Garage off Holman Street across from the Fertitta Center, courtesy of UH Parking and Transportation Services.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app, Sirius XM Radio and ESPN Radio.

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– UHCougars.com –