Houston & Arizona Go Punch for Punch, Cougars Prevail

Video by Eliav Gabay

When the Arizona joined the Big 12, match ups between teams like the ‘Cats and Houston were already being hyped up. Fans got to see it come to fruition on Saturday, and it did not disappoint.

“This is one of the special venues in the country,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said.

Houston brought its No. 1 scoring defense to McKale bringing a brand of toughness, physicality and suffocation to an Arizona team that was coming off a loss on the road to Kansas State earlier this week.

Arizona led for the first 34 minutes of the game, but the Cougars made a late push and came away with a 62-58 win. 

Houston adds a quality win to their resumé. Arizona can build off a loss knowing they had one of the top teams in the country on the ropes for much of the game. 

“I think they had a little more certainty from where their shots were going to come from,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. 

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc throughout the game. Houston helped separate themselves from Arizona thanks to two LJ Collier three pointers inside the six-minute mark.  

“You can’t give their best three point shooter a wide open shots,” Lloyd said. 

Ariona’s head coach knows the ‘Cats can’t rely on the three to win their games, and is at peace with the way his group is built. 

“We’re not the best three-point shooting team you’ve ever seen. “We’re not the 2017 Golden State Warriors. We’re a gritty team. It’s going to get ugly sometimes. That’s just how we needed up being built and we’re OK with it.”

Lloyd wants the ‘Cats to build upon that version, a style that has made Houston one of the best overall teams in the country. But he knows that takes time. 

“Houston’s a great litmus test to see where we’re at. I don’t sit here everyday thinking we have to be better than Houston. We want to play that way but our own version.”

Arizona has a quick turnaround as they head to Baylor on Monday to take on the 16-9 Bears.