The Houston Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats continue Big 12 Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday, March 15th, 2025, in Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. central on ESPN and ESPN+. The Houston Cougars (29-4) are the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the No. 2 team in the country. The Arizona Wildcats (22-11) are the No. 3 seed in the tournament and not ranked in the AP Top 25.
Saturday’s game between Houston and Arizona wraps up the Big 12 Tournament, with the winner claiming the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Houston is coming off a 74-54 win over the BYU Cougars in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Arizona is coming off an 86-80 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.
Here is a preview of the game.
How to Watch Houston vs. Arizona
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 5 p.m. CT
TV Channel: ESPN/ESPN+
Site: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Houston vs. Arizona Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: Houston -7
Current Line: Houston -6
Over/Under: 135 (opened 136)
Houston vs. Arizon Predictions
Houston is the No. 2 team in the country for a reason — actually, many reasons. I’ve written all season that Houston as a variety of ways to beat you. Against BYU and without forward J’Wan Roberts, the Cougars lived off an impressive night from the 3-point line (10-for-26) and a terrific game defensively, both collectively and from forward JoJo Tugler, who moved into the starting lineup for Roberts.
The Cougars are relentless on both ends and opponents don’t quite know where it will come from. Emanuel Sharp had the big game, firing in 26 points, including seven 3-pointers. But it could be guard LJ Cryer, guard Milos Uzan, guard Terrence Arcenaux or someone else. This is a team that understand it has a collective responsibility to step up if someone has an off night.
Off nights are hard to find with this team. If the offense doesn’t click, the Cougars simply turn on the defense, which is among the best units in the country. It’s hard for an opponent to pick a poison.
Arizona has the depth to stick with a team like Houston. The Wildcats have proven in this tournament that their offense is peaking at the right time. They’ve scored 88 and 86 points in their two tournament games. For comparison, when Arizona hosted Houston last month the Wildcats only scored 58 points in a loss. The Wildcats will have to rise above a Houston defense that has proven relentless in this tournament.
Caleb Love is coming off a 27-point game against Texas Tech and he looks locked in. Coach Tommy Lloyd seems to have settled on a frontcourt of Trey Townsend and Tobe Awaka to start the game, with Henri Veesaar coming off the bench. Awaka doesn’t much playing time after Veesaar comes in, as he’s been extremely effective in the screen-and-roll game.
Arizona can be streaky from distance, but it has shot well from there this weekend. The Wildcats are healthy. Houston will be without Roberts, who suffered an injury against Colorado but will be ready for the NCAA Tournament. Tugler proved on Friday he was up for more playing time and the defensive task that entails.
This should be a higher-scoring game than the one on Tucson. Arizona is in a better groove. But Houston just seems inevitable. The Cougars absolutely floored BYU, the hottest offense in the conference, on Friday. Houston wraps up its unfinished business with a title game win over Arizona.
Houston 71, Arizona 67
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Arizona 72.6% chance of winning
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
