No. 4 Arizona men’s basketball upsets No. 2 Houston on road to take sole possession atop Big 12 race

Anthony Dell’Orso followed up his 22-point outing against No. 23 BYU, a career-best in a Wildcats uniform, with another 22-point performance, as No. 4 Arizona men’s basketball upset No. 2 Houston 73-66 on the road at the Fertitta Center. After dropping back-to-back games at Kansas and at home against Texas Tech, the Wildcats (25-2, 12-2) are now in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings.

Arizona was 0-3 in its previous three matchups against Houston (23-4, 11-3) since Tommy Lloyd took the helm, but handed the Cougars just their second home loss since joining the Big 12 in 2023-24.

“The message was simple, winning things,” said head coach Tommy Lloyd after the win. “Get back to winning things and the things that drive winning. Don’t be result oriented. Lock into a process.”

Arizona was once again short-handed without freshmen Koa Peat, who is dealing with a lower leg injury, and Dwayne Aristode, who remains sidelined with an undisclosed illness.

Three Wildcats scored in double-figures, including the game-high 22 points from the Aussie Dell’Orso, who shot 8-14 from the field, including 2-5 from 3-point range. He also finished with three rebounds and a career-high four steals. Jaden Bradley was a little quiet in the first half, but lived up to his nickname “The Closer,” scoring 17 points, including 5-6 free throws in the final 70 seconds of play, along with four rebounds and four assists. Freshman Ivan Kharchenkov continued his strong play down the stretch, adding on 16 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

Arizona went 20-31 from the free throw line on the day, missing five free throws to end the first half, before closing out the game 10-12 in the final 1:10.

Houston freshman Kingston Flemings led the Cougars with 17 points, but was held to just 1-4 from beyond the arc. Emanuel Sharp tacked on 14 more points, with 8 coming at the free throw line, while freshman Chris Cenac Jr. had a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Arizona used a quick start to lead the entire first half, taking a 36-31 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Houston senior Milos Uzan buried a triple with 14:16 to play in the second half, giving Houston a 44-42 lead, its first of the game. A Kharchenkov layup tied the game back up, the first of three ties, before a Dell’Orso triple reclaimed a 51-50 lead for Arizona with 11:35 to play. The Aussie’s three spurred a 12-0 run over six minutes, giving the Wildcats, which forced 10 straight missed field goal attempts by the Cougars, a 10-point lead.

“Our media was getting a little worried back home and I just kept telling them, ‘guys, Delly is going to be at his best when we need him to be at his best,'” said Lloyd after back-to-back 22-point games for Dell’Orso off the bench.

A pair of free throws from Emanuel Sharp and Kalifa Sakho ended the Cougars’ scoring drought, before a Kingston Fleming triple brought Houston’s 10-plus minute field goal drought to a close. From there, Bradley and Brayden Burries, who has been battling the flu, combined for eight of the 10 free throws to secure the 73-66 for the Wildcats.

Arizona remains in the Lone Star State until Tuesday, when it takes on the Baylor Bears (14-13, 4-10), which beat in-state rival ASU to snap a four-game losing streak, before returning home for ranked matchups against Kansas and Iowa State.