Kansas City, Missouri —The No. 3 University of Arizona men’s basketball team (22-11, 14-6 in Big 12) advanced to the Phillips Big 12 Championship game and are set to face No. 1 University of Houston (29-4, 19-1 in Big 12) on Saturday, March 15 at 5 p.m. CT in T-Mobile Center. The game will be televised on ESPN. Houston beat out No. 4 BYU 74-54 in the semifinal win to meet Arizona in the finals.
The Wildcats secured a semifinal 86-80 win over No. 2 Texas Tech University on March 14, where regardless of part of Texas Tech’s core being out on injury, the Wildcats limited the Red Raiders to just 9-of-28 from beyond the arc. Arizona shot 50% from the 3-point line and 50.8% from the field as Caleb Love put up a dominating 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
History vs. Houston
The two programs head into Saturday’s matchup with Houston holding the 7-6 all-time series lead over the Wildcats. The most recent loss came earlier this year on Feb. 15, as Arizona fell to an upsetting 62-58 loss in McKale Center with Houston holding onto the firm win. A notable loss prior to February came when the Cougars ended the Wildcats run in the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament 72-60.
Houston players to watch
Houston is guided by 11th year head coach Kelvin Sampson, who has helped the Cougars stray away from losses, only collecting four this season. A former NBA head coach for the Houston Rockets, Sampson helped the Cougars make it to the NCAA tournament six times, including a Final Four appearance in 2021. Additionally, Sampson is a 12-time National Coach of the Year and received eight conference Coach of the Year accolades from five different leagues. Through this time he guided each program to multiple 20-win seasons.
In the victory over BYU, the Houston Cougars held their opponent to shoot 6-of-28 from beyond the arc, forcing a 31.7% field goal percentage for the night. Houston’s top-3 leading scorers combined for 60 points as its notable BYU put 54 as a team.
6-foot-3 redshirt junior Emanuel Sharp led the way in the win with 26 points and four rebounds, contributing 5-of-7 shots from deep. The guard for Houston serves as the team’s second-leading scorer, putting up 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. During his sophomore season for the Cougars, Sharp was one of five players to compete in all 37 games. Additionally, Sharp was named as a 2023-2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
Graduate guard LJ Cryer leads Houston in scoring, averaging 15.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Cryer, who stands at 6-foot-1, has continued to contribute his offensive efforts, putting up 19.8 points in his last five games. In the victory over BYU, Cryer added on 20 points to follow Sharp and propel Houston towards the semifinal win.
J’Wan Roberts remains the team’s leading rebounder, collecting 6.3 rebounds and 10.3 points per game. The graduate forward sat out against BYU after spraining his ankle in Houston’s quarterfinal 77-68 win over the University of Colorado, Boulder on March 13. This wasn’t an issue for the No. 1 rated defensive team in the nation as guard Mylik Wilson collected a game-high 13 rebounds to help Houston find an early lead.
Wildcats to watch
Head coach of the Wildcats Tommy Lloyd has guided Arizona to a 88-20 overall record leading Arizona. This is the Wildcats’ third conference tournament championship under Lloyd in his four seasons coaching the team with Arizona winning the Pac-12 tournament in 2022 and 2023. The Wildcats are 6-2 when facing Top 5 opponents under Lloyd, marking the best winning percentage in the country throughout the span of those games. Additionally, as a team, Arizona hits 78.5% of its free-throws, right behind the 78.6% single-season record for the program in the 2003-2003 season.
Fifth-year guard Caleb Love stunned in an impressive 27-point performance over No. 2 Texas Tech in the Wildcats’ semi final victory. Love shot 10-of-15 from the field, including a dominating 5-for-8 from the 3-point line. The 6-foot-4 guard remains as a crucial piece for the Wildcats, averaging 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the Big 12 Tournament. Love also leads the team in scoring, averaging a statline of 16.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
KJ Lewis helped push Arizona towards the win over the Red Raiders, showcasing an essential defensive performance, collecting a team-high eight rebounds along with 15 points. Lewis, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, has scored 34 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and six steals over back-to-back games in Kansas City, Mo. Additionally, he is an impressive 13-of-16 from the free throw line. With one more assists, Lewis will be accompanying Jaden Bradley and Henri Veesaar with 100 assists this season. Notably, the only other programs with three players to achieve 100 or more assists are NAU, Iowa State University and Robert Morris University.
Lloyd put Trey Townsend in the starting lineup for the game against Texas Tech as the Oakland University transfer put up 8 first half points, collecting a total of 12 points and five rebounds in the Wildcats’ victory. The 6-foot-6 forward is averaging 13.7 points and five rebounds over the last three games, shooting 60% from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
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