KANSAS CITY, Mo.– Arizona guard jaden bradley Having just left the locker room, his left wrist was tightly taped after a collision, leaving him writhing in pain. koa peat got into bad trouble, and houston Making a big run in the title game of the Big 12 Tournament
Throughout the season, the second-place Wildcats had showcased their talent.
On Saturday night, he proved his resiliency.
brayden burys Overcame the slump with 21 points, including a pair of free throws with 8.3 seconds remaining. Peet also had 21 points, and Bradley, who hit the semifinal winner against Iowa State, finished with 13 as Arizona held the lead by one point. 79-74 A win over the fifth-ranked Cougars in a rematch of last year’s championship game.
Big 12 Coach of the Year Tommy Lloyd said of his Wildcats, “They’re just resilient, you know? And they have an unbreakable spirit.” “These guys do an amazing job of figuring it out in difficult moments.”
It’s a talent that should serve the Wildcats (32-2) well in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Since their only two losses of the season they have reeled off nine consecutive wins, and six of those wins have come against ranked opponents.
“We came into the Big 12, and I knew right away there was a program we were looking for and that was Houston,” Lloyd said. “And it’s not that we were committed to the chase, but it gave us a great barometer of what we felt we needed to do in our program.”
The Wildcats, who lost 72-64 to the Cougars in their Big 12 title game a year ago, were leading 75-66 just a minute into Saturday night. daya miller And Milos Uzan Hit 3s on consecutive possessions to give Houston a chance.
But when Pete missed a jumper with 22 seconds left, Arizona became the big man. Motijus Krivas Collected the rebound and was fouled under the basket. The 7-foot-2 junior from Lithuania calmly made both free throws to extend the Wildcats’ lead.
Kingston Flemings And Miller missed a layup on the other end for Houston (28–6), and by the time Miller was fouled and made two free throws, there were only 13.2 seconds left. Burris was fouled on an inbounds pass and the win was sealed.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said, “The two best teams in the Big 12 were battling it out. Either team could have won the game.” “Sometimes, it comes down to the break. Sometimes, it comes down to the whistle. Sometimes, it comes down to the toss. When two teams are tied like they were today, that’s what happens.”
The championship matchup – one of the Final Four – was close during the first half until Burries, who had missed 11 consecutive shots prior to the quarterfinal win over UCF, finally got hot for Arizona. The All-Big 12 guard made four consecutive shots at the end of the first half, scoring the Wildcats’ final 10 points and giving them a 44-36 advantage at the break.
As the game became more physical, they increased the lead to 15 points in the second half.
Within minutes, Bradley injured his wrist in a collision and went to the locker room briefly. Pete was slowly getting up after the hammer hit the shot. And during a scramble for a loose ball, five players collided on the floor, and when a jump ball was finally called, Burries and Houston advanced. Kalifa Sakho Not ready to let go, he remained lying on the court.
Houston was still trailing 59–44 when it finally scored 14 straight points and nearly tied the score.
But the unbowed Burries answered with a three-point play, Ivan Kharchenkov The Wildcats scored on three consecutive trips down the field, and they found enough breathing room to survive until the end.
“Arizona is really nice,” Sampson said. “If Arizona had lost to Houston, I would have said the same thing. ‘Arizona lost to a really good team. There’s no shame in Arizona losing to Houston.’ And I would say the same thing in another way. “Arizona is really nice.”
Houston will likely be the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play first- and second-round games in Oklahoma City. Perhaps more importantly, if the Cougars advance they will play their regional semifinal in Houston.
Arizona must make a short trip to San Diego for its opening weekend games in the NCAA Tournament. If the Wildcats advance, the projected No. 1 seed will head to the shores of San Jose, Calif., for a second weekend.
