Houston – Arizona
The sixth ranked Houston Cougars travelled out west to Tucson to compete against the #13 Wildcats of Arizona in a showdown for the number one spot in the Big 12. Arizona is in the midst of a late season resurgence after a pre-conference schedule featuring some disappointing losses going 11-2 since staring conference play. Their last game was a losing effort against Kansas State in Manhattan where they struggled to get stops late in the game. They are a big, physical team that wins by controlling the boards and creating opportunities for their leading scorer Caleb Love.
Houston is in control of the Big 12 coming into this game with their only loss coming at the hands of Texas Tech but with their last outing taking the form of a win against the Baylor Bears. This Houston team has been elite for the past several years with legend Kelvin Sampson at the helm pushing the philosophy of aggressive defense and physicality to give them an immediate edge over most opponents.
First Half
Both of these teams came into this contest knowing the effect a win would have on their postseason hopes. Arizona was giving the Cougars fits as they flew around on defense and used their size to keep the Cougar front court from controlling the paint. Houston struggled to make open shots which turned this game ugly for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the first half. Eventually Caleb Love would put Arizona up 19-10 on a runner from the left wing that just beat the shot clock. Just when it seemed like Arizona was going to pull away, Terrance Arceneaux banked in a straight away three with seven minutes left in the half that put life back into the lungs of the Cougars.
The Cougars would get settled down as a jumper from Milos Uzan bringing them back to within two points of the Wildcats at 22-24 with two minutes left to play in the first half. Caleb Love would bang in three of his nine first half points followed by a jumper from Houston big man J’Wan Roberts who then put in a free-throw to keep Houston within two of Arizona. Arizona freshman Carter Bryant would send the Wildcats into halftime with momentum as he buried a three with 30 seconds left in the game to make the score 30-25.
Second Half
The opening minutes of the second half belonged to the Houston front-court with Joseph Tugler being on the receiving end of some dribble penetration putting in six points for Houston capitalized by a thunderous dunk. Caleb Love would fight to keep Houston at bay by creating opportunities for his teammates and attacking the basket.
Houston would lean on their backcourt leaders Uzan and CJ Cryer who would finish with a game high 19 and 15 points respectively. With six minutes left to play, Cryer went on a six point burst in 14 seconds of game play to put Houston up five at 53-48. Houston would used a balanced offensive attack as they figured out the Arizona defense and sealed the game with stops at the defensive end and at the free-throw line, with Arceneaux putting Houston up by three with a pair of free throws with just 34 seconds left.
A play to get KJ Lewis a look at a three to tie the game for the Wildcats but it missed short and was rebounded by Roberts for Houston who was immediately fouled. He would hit the front end to make it a four point gap and seal the game for the Cougars, 62-58. Caleb Love would be held scoreless for the last 9:44 which stagnated the Arizona offense and took the cougars off of their heels.
Conclusion and Looking Ahead
Houston is an extremely dangerous team due to their toughness and ability to handle adversity which were key to their win over a surging Arizona team that came with a lot of intensity today. The Cougars put themselves in a great position to control the fate of the Big 12 with this win in Tucson. The more games like this Houston goes through, the more dangerous they will become.
Houston will stay in Arizona as part of a two game trip to take on the Arizona State Sundevils who are struggling in Big 12 play. Hopefully Houston can use this game to focus on getting off to a better start to put games away early. They have a winning formula down there but they can struggle with bigger teams due to their undersized backcourt, although they are experienced and formidable. Houston will take on Arizona State on Tuesday February 18th at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN 2.
Arizona is now nestled in the second spot in the conference as they will now have to fight off a fast approaching Texas Tech team down the stretch. The Wildcats travel to Texas for their next contest as they take on Baylor in Waco. That game will be on Monday February 17th at 9:00 p.m. CST on ESPN.
To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in College Basketball analysis click here.
