On Saturday afternoon in Tucson, Arizona, two Big 12 teams clashed in an exciting back-and-forth matchup.
Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats welcomed Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars to McKale Memorial Center for the 14th game of the Big 12 regular season. The two teams entered in hopes of taking a commanding lead in the race for a regular season title, but the team that wanted it more was Houston, outlasting Arizona on the road.
With that, here are the top three takeaways from Houston’s 62-58 win over the Wildcats.
Cryer and Love
While many more athletes had an impact on the outcome of the game beyond just LJ Cryer and Caleb Love, the two were a perfect microcosm of what took place Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the Caleb Love experience claimed another as the star guard continued his ice-cold shooting from three. Love followed up his 3-15. 0-7 performance vs. Kansas State by going 6-15 and 1-8 from three against the Cougars.
Love came out hot in the first half, converting multiple tough looks in the paint upon penetrating, but the script flipped mightily in the second half. His shot selection took a turn for the worst, while LJ Cryer’s took a turn for the best. Down the stretch, Cryer put the Cougars on his back, scoring seven of his 15 points in the final six minutes of regulation. In the end, his Cougars took care of the Wildcats in a tough battle.
Two Non-Factors
Heading into the matchup, Houston’s Emanuel Sharp and Arizona’s Tobe Awaka were key players to focus on. Sharp entered the game averaging 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and one assist per game, while Awake, the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Awaka, was posting a near-double-double with 8.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.
In a strange turn of events, neither of the two had much impact in the Top 15 matchup, with both Sharp and Awaka going scoreless from the field.
For Awaka, the outing is head-scratching, as he’s seemed to really hit his stride this season. For Sharp, it confirms one thing: he has been a completely different player since sustaining his ankle injury. Since his return, he’s averaging just five points per game.
Hello First
Houston entered the matchup against Arizona, leading the league with a 12-1 record in league play. After losing in their previous outing, Arizona sat one game back from Kelvin Sampson’s team. They played with much more energy for the first 30 minutes of the game, but eventually hit a wall and allowed the Cougars to storm back and win.
The victory secured a massive game in the standings for Houston, creating separation between themselves and the Wildcats. Texas Tech has also brought some fear for Houston fans with the Red Raiders looking to compete for a league title as well. They sit with three losses of their own but do own the tiebreaker over the Cougars.
With six games remaining, barring any unforeseen changes, the Cougars may be looking at a second-straight title in 2024-25.
