The Houston Cougars claimed the Big 12 Tournament championship Saturday night with a 72-64 win over the Arizona Wildcats to sweep the league's hardware after claiming the outright regular-season title two weeks ago.

The top-seeded Cougars defeated No. 16 seed Colorado, No. 4 seed BYU and No. 3 seed Arizona in three games across three days in Kansas City to secure the title — its first since joining the league last season after finishing runner-up in 2023-24.

Houston guard Milos Uzan scored a career-high 25 points in the win and drilled a game-high four made 3s on six attempts in a breakout second half to pace the Cougars. He scored 17 of his 25 in the second half as Houston turned a five-point halftime deficit into a six-point win.

The win was propelled by a Houston-like finish as it closed on an 11-2 run. Its defense held Arizona without a field goal in the final 5:32 of game time and the Wildcats missed seven of their final eight shots from the field.

Houston won the Big 12 regular season title in its first season in the conference last year and followed it up with another regular-season title this season. Now with 30 wins entering Selection Sunday, it is a projected 1 seed in Jerry Palm's latest bracket and positioned as one of the heavyweights to contend for an NCAA championship this month.

Houston has turned a five-point halftime deficit into a five-point lead here in the early going of the second half after a huge couple of buckets from Emanuel Sharp. Sharp has seven points in the first seven minutes of the second half and has made three of his four buckets.

Like the first half, Arizona's defense has thus far not quite been up to speed. Houston shooting 70% from the field and 75% on 3s in the second half even as Arizona's offense is still rolling.

After trailing by as many as eight points early in the first half, Arizona put together a big run to roll into halftime with a 33-28 advantage. The Wildcats closed the half on a 22-9 run as Caleb Love came alive, scoring 14 of the team's 33 points in the opening 20 minutes.

"We knew it was going to be tough, but we're here for it," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said to ESPN at halftime.

Arizona out-rebounded Houston 21-19 in the opening frame and matched the Cougars' signature toughness, which should bode well for the Wildcats if it continues.

Houston also sputtered a bit on offense after a fast start with Emanuel Sharp finishing 3 of 8 from the field and the team missing 20 of its 32 shots from the floor.

Against this Houston team, you absolutely have to be tough and match physicality.

That's what Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was preaching — no, screaming — in his team's huddle a few minutes ago. Cool look here from ESPN with special access demanding his team be tough and be ready for the Cougars' aggressive approach on defense.

It's been an ugly start on offense for both teams, but Houston has taken hold of this one and has not trailed thus far thanks to a big start from Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan. Sharp has been red-hot this postseason and he has six points already on two big 3s.

Arizona on he other hand is 0 of 4 from 3-point range and 3-of-16 from the field.

We are underway in Kansas City.

Houston, a two-time conference tournament champion in the AAC under Kelvin Sampson, looking for its first Big 12 tournament championship tonight vs. an Arizona team that, under Tommy Lloyd, was a two-time conference tournament champion in the Pac-12 and is now looking for its first Big 12 hardware.

Buckle up!

The fifteenth and final game of Big 12 Tournament week is set to tip tonight at 6 p.m. ET from Kansas City.

Here's five things to know as Arizona and Houston prepare for battle.

1. Houston forced BYU to miss its first nine shots of Friday's semifinals game before going on to win 74-54. The Cougars of Houston won both their games against the Cougars of BYU this season by a combined 51 points.

2. Houston leads the all-time series between the two programs 7-6. Notably, it ended Arizona's NCAA Tournament run in 2022 in the Sweet 16, 72-60.

3. Arizona is playing for its third conference tournament championship in the last four seasons under coach Tommy Lloyd and first in the Big 12 after joining the league this year.

4. Houston ranks inside the top-10 in the following statistical categories at KenPom: Defense (No. 2), effective FG% defense (No. 3), 3-point % (No. 4), block rate (No. 6).

5. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, this will be the fifth time that Arizona has played three games in three days. The Wildcats are 12-2 in those games.

Unsurprisingly, Big 12 regular season champion and 29-win Houston is a betting favorite to win tonight's Big 12 Tournament title game. But oddsmakers have the line fairly close to a toss-up entering the game.

Here's where things stand after Houston opened as a 7-point favorite.

Both the game line and over/under line have seen some movement since open. Houston opened as 7-point favorites and that line is now Houston -6. The over/under also moved upward from 135 at open to 136.5.

Per TeamRankings.com data, Houston is 13-18-1 against the spread this season as a favorite — while Arizona is 4-4 against the spread as an underdog.

A fifteenth and final game at this week's Big 12 Tournament stands between us and crowning a champion Saturday night in Kansas City.

The tourney finale is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET between No. 1 seed Houston and No. 3 seed Arizona after 14 games across four days leading us into the weekend. The game will air on ESPN tonight with Houston considered a narrow favorite.

Here's a look at the updated bracket and how we got here.

There is arguably no team in college basketball — not Auburn, not Duke — that is hotter entering this weekend's festivities than the No. 2 Houston Cougars. The top-seeded team in the Big 12 has been on a rampage the last few months with 12-straight wins entering Saturday evening and 24 wins in its last 25 games dating back to an overtime loss to San Diego State on Nov. 30.

That 12-game winning streak is the third-longest active streak in college basketball and first-longest among major conference programs behind UC San Diego and High Point.

Year 1 as a member of the Big 12 has been a success for Arizona. The Wildcats punched their ticket to the Big 12 title game with a 86-80 win over No. 2 seed Texas Tech. Arizona star guard Caleb Love scored a team-high 27 points in the win to help set up a date with No. 1 seed Houston for all the marbles on Saturday.

Arizona took a 47-39 lead into the locker room and never trailed for the final 24 minutes of regulation. The Wildcats should have a chance to improve their seed line with a win over Houston in the conference title game. The Cougars are projected to earn a No. 1 seed in the latest Bracketology projections by CBS Sports' Jerry Palm.

It wasn't the 31-point beatdown Houston handed BYU on Jan. 4 of this year, but it wasn't far off, either!

The top-seeded Cougars of Houston downed the fourth-seeded Cougars of BYU in yet another lopsided victory, this time in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals round to punch a ticket to Saturday's title fight.

It was a clinic in typical Houston fashion: suffocating defense, tough shot-making, and capitalizing off opponent mistakes.

Houston finished the game forcing 13 turnovers and on offense shot 10 of 26 from 3-point land to help build a lead that proved insurmountable. Emanuel Sharp was the leader on that front for the Cougars with 26 points in the win, and LJ Cryer was consistent all night as well, finishing with 20 points. Sharp and Cryer combined for more 3s (9) than did BYU as a team (6) on 10 fewer attempts.

The win gives Houston a second consecutive Big 12 Tournament title appearance in as many seasons — after, I'll remind you, joining the league last year — and sets it up to face the winner of Texas Tech-Arizona on Saturday.

The second game of tonight's Big 12 Tournament semifinals doubleheader in Kansas City features No. 2 seed Texas Tech and No. 3 seed Arizona.

The game is scheduled to tip at 9:30 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2.

Here are five things to know.

1. Texas Tech and Arizona split the regular-season series 1-1. Texas Tech beat Arizona in Lubbock, Texas, on Jan. 18, 70-54. Arizona returned the favor in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 8, 82-73.

2. Friday night will be the eighth time Texas Tech has appeared in a Big 12 Tournament semifinal game.

3. Texas Tech owns a 29-25 all-time advantage in the series with Arizona.

4. Texas Tech made 15 3-pointers in its Big 12 quarterfinals win over Baylor which set the program record for 3s in a Big 12 Tournament game. The Red Raiders have now made 10 or more 3s in a program record 20 games this season, including 15 or more in five games.

5. The four most efficient offensive teams in the Big 12 are the four still vying for a Big 12 tourney title. Arizona's offense was the highest-scoring among all Big 12 teams during conference play at 80.0 points per game but ranks fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom among Big 12 teams behind No. 1 Texas Tech, No. 2 BYU and No. 3 Houston.

The first of two games scheduled tonight in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals between No. 1 seed Houston and No. 4 seed BYU tips at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Here are five things to know.

1. Houston has the third-longest active winning streak in college basketball having won 11 consecutive games. It is 24-1 over its last 25 games since losing in overtime to Texas Tech on Feb. 1.

2. Houston has advanced to seven consecutive (!!) conference tournament semifinals. This is the second year Houston is in the Big 12. It was previously in the American Athletic Conference from 2012-2023.

3. Friday will be the 11th all-time meeting between Houston and BYU and the first at a neutral site since 1978. Houston holds a 7-3 all-time advantage in the series.

4. Houston defeated BYU by 34 points in the first and only meeting of the two teams this season.

5. BYU has won nine consecutive games and has the eight-longest active winning streak in college basketball.

Four teams are still standing as we hit the homestretch of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City on Friday. Action begins tonight at 7 p.m. with all four of the top seeds still in the hunt for a championship.

Both games will air on ESPN2.

If the first three days of Big 12 Tournament action are any indication, then Friday night's semifinals should be sublime.

We've got four teams left standing and two games on tap. A doubleheader from the T-Mobile Center this evening starts at 7 p.m. ET. Both games will air on ESPN2.

The first game features No. 1 seed Houston and No. 4 seed BYU in a rematch from a beatdown in January in which the (Houston) Cougars handed the (BYU) Cougars a 31-point defeat.

The second game of the night features No. 2 seed Texas Tech and No. 3 seed Arizona. The two split the regular-season series 1-1.

No. 3 seed Arizona is moving to the next round of the Big 12 Tournament after recording an 88-77 win over No. 6 seed Kansas. The Wildcats led by as many as 13 points in the second half and were in control for the majority of the game. They will face No. 2 seed Texas Tech on Friday with a trip to the Big 12 title game on the line.

After an up-and-down season, the Jayhawks now await their seeding on Selection Sunday.

Texas Tech made it harder on itself than it should have, but the No. 2 seed Red Raiders manage to escape potential disaster after dragging their feet to the finish line with a win over Baylor. Tech missed its final 10 shots from the field in a stretch that spanned the entire final 7:26 of game action.

It matters not because Texas Tech loaded up all its ammo early to secure just enough of a cushion.

That was a credit to a big day from Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin, who had 26 points and 10 boards and helped Tech build a 15-point second-half lead that it ultimately never surrendered.

Texas Tech moves into the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Friday where it will face the winner of Arizona-Kansas.

Colorado's magical run at the Big 12 Tournament comes to an end at the hands of No. 1 seed Thursday as the Buffaloes fall 77-68 in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. Colorado won twice in two days to draw a matchup with the top-seeded Houston, but the fresh Cougars handled them throughout in a near wire-to-wire victory to advance into the semifinals.

Houston had four players score in double figures and crucially won the battle both on the boards and in turnovers in typical Houston fashion. Emmanuel Sharp scored a team-high 19 points but fouled out in 26 minutes.

Houston advances into the semifinals where it will play No. 4 seed BYU on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

The shorthanded Iowa State Cyclones fittingly fell short in their bid for a comeback as BYU holds them off with big shots late to advance in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.

ISU was without both Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert after suffering injuries Wednesday, which meant for a big day from Curtis Jones — who finished with 31 points. But it wasn't enough to offset the loss of Lipsey (the team leader in steals and second-leading assists man) and Gilbert (the second-leading scorer and team leader in assists).

That was as much because of BYU's performance on a big day as it was because of ISU absences. Richie Saunders scored 23 points and the team made 18 of its 36 3s in a barrage from distance to help bury the Cyclones.

BYU's win moves it to the tourney semifinals in the bracket where it will play the winner of Houston-Colorado on Friday.

Oddsmakers seem to think Thursday could shape up to be a good one in Kansas City as the Big 12 Tournament's quarterfinals play out. Here's the schedule and a look at the odds for every game that have been posted so far. The day's finale, Kansas-Arizona, could be the best of the bunch.

Afternoon session will be on ESPN2; evening session will be aired on ESPN.

Wednesday delivered a relatively chalky day at the Big 12 Tournament to set up what should be a delectable slate Thursday in conference quarterfinals action.

Three of the four winners advanced in the bracket as better-seeded teams over their opponents, while the fourth, Colorado, won for a second consecutive day to move into the quarters. Colorado is the worst-seeded team in the field after entering the week as the No. 16 seed following a league-low three wins in Big 12 play.

Thursday's slate begins at 12:30 p.m. ET with Iowa State-BYU followed by No. 1 seed Houston's first outing of the postseason vs. Colorado. The night session wraps with No. 2 seed Texas Tech and No. 3 seed Arizona facing their first postseason action as well vs. Baylor and Kansas, respectively.

The second-round finale of the Big 12 Tournament didn't disappoint, as Kansas held off a late rally from UCF to score a 98-94 win. UCF big man Moustapha Thiam missed a floater with less than two seconds left in overtime that would've tied the game.

The Knights forced overtime after guard Jordan Ivy-Curry knocked down a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining to tie the game at 83-83. UCF went on a 14-0 run to get back into the game after Kansas led by as many as 13 in the second half.

Four different Kansas players scored at least 15 points in the win. Kansas guard Zeke Mayo scored 24, and star big man Hunter Dickinson added 23. The Jayhawks will face No. 3 seed Arizona on Thursday with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

Baylor lands a big win for its bubbly NCAA Tournament outlook with an impressive outing in its first showing of the week at the Big 12 Tournament. The Bears led for all but a few minutes in the opening frame and turned it into a blowout by halftime that never really was contested in the second half.

Baylor got a huge game from Jayden Nunn and VJ Edgecombe for the Bears' backcourt. Edgecombe led the team with 19 points and grabbed 10 boards, and Nunn had 18 points led by a team-best four made 3-pointers.

Norchad Omier added 12 points and 12 boards.

Baylor entered the day as one of the last four teams in Jerry Palm's updated NCAA Tournament bracket projections so this should do well for its hopes to go dancing. It will face No. 2 seed Texas Tech on Thursday in the quarterfinals with a chance to further bolster its resume ahead of this weekend's Selection Sunday.

Colorado for a second time in as many days is advancing in the Big 12 Tournament bracket. The Buffs won in upset fashion, overcoming a 13-point deficit to down the Mountaineers, 67-60. The Buffaloes, who closed as 6.5-point underdogs, rallied with a huge second half capped by hitting seven of their final nine shots from the field. It continues what has been a remarkable two-day stretch for Tad Boyle's club after entering the week as the 16-seed among 16 Big 12 teams following a league-low three regular-season wins in conference play.

Colorado's bench was the difference in this one, outscoring West Virginia's 38-12 while winning the turnover battle 15-11 to boot. CU got 14 points from Elijah Malone and 13 points from RJ Smith.

The Buffaloes move into the quarterfinals round to face No. 1 seed Houston on Thursday.

Iowa State goes wire-to-wire with a resounding victory to end Cincinnati's run at the Big 12 Tournament in the second round. The Cyclones never trailed and finished with their largest lead of the day in the final outcome. Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic led the way with 19 points and 16 points, respectively.

It was perfect a fresh glimpse at a retooled Iowa State team that has battled injuries to various players throughout the season and a reminder of the potency of the Cyclones when at full strength. It shot 10 of 21 from 3-point range, outscored Cincy 36-16 in the paint and finished the game on an impressive 11-0 run to punctuate the win.

Iowa State moves into the quarterfinals round where it will face No. 4 seed BYU on Thursday.

Four games , four fairly large favorites on the slate Wednesday with second-round action on tap from the Big 12 Tournament.

Both Baylor and West Virginia are 6.5-point favorites against Kansas State and Colorado, respectively. Call me crazy but I like taking the points with the underdogs there. The regular-season matchups between those teams were within single-digits. In a spotlight like the Big 12 tourney, where neither favorite has a clear home advantage, I think the underdog can cover the number and keep it interesting.

I like laying the points with Iowa State and Kansas as 9 and 10 point favorites in the first and last games of the day, respectively. Iowa State fans notoriously travel WELL — in Big 12 tourney action, they match KU fans. The building will be packed with Cyclones and Jayhawks. I think today will be the start of a big run for both ISU and KU after shaky finishes to the regular season.

The second day of the Big 12 Tournament picks up again Wednesday with a quadruple-header in Kansas City, Missouri, after first-round action from Tuesday saw two games decided by two possessions and two games were decisively won in blowout fashion.

Wednesday's slate begins at 12:30 p.m. ET between No. 5 seed Iowa State and No. 13 seed Cincinnati before moving into the afternoon at 3 p.m. ET with a battle between No. 8 seed West Virginia and No. 16 seed Colorado.

The night session features No. 7 seed Baylor taking on No. 10 seed Kansas State followed by No. 6 seed Kansas and No. 14 seed UCF.

Winners of today's action will move into the quarterfinals round on Thursday with games each of the next three days on tap before crowning a champion on Saturday night.

After trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the first half, UCF used a big run after halftime to defeat Utah 87-72. The Knights will advance to the second round of the Big 12 Tournament for the second consecutive season after defeating Oklahoma State in the opening round of last year's tournament.

UCF star Keyshawn Hall finished with a team-high 23 points, and Darius Johnson added 20 in the win. Just weeks before the Big 12 Tournament, Utah fired coach Craig Smith after four seasons with the program. The Utes went 16-17 in their first season in the Big 12 after exiting the Pac-12 last summer.

UCF will face No. 6 seed Kansas in the second round on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. UCF lost both meetings against the Jayhawks this season.

After a regular-season series that saw Kansas State steal one from Arizona State on the Sun Devils' home floor and ASU return the favor weeks later in Manhattan, Kansas, the Wildcats got the last laugh to advance into the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Kansas State led for the entire of the second half and largely controlled the game thanks to a huge outing from Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins, who finished with 26 points and eight boards. It marked a season-high for Hawkins, who set the tone early with 19 first-half points after five consecutive outings of nine or fewer points.

K-State moves into the second round where it will face No. 7 seed Baylor on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET. Baylor won the previous matchup in January 70-62 in Waco, Texas.