BIG 12 CLINCHED!
No. 4 Houston clinches Big 12 regular-season title with 73-64 win over Cincinnati
Mar 2, 2025, 10:46 am
Houston wins again! Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images.
L.J. Cryer scored 20 points and No. 4 Houston clinched the outright Big 12 regular-season title for a second straight season with a 73-64 win over Cincinnati on Saturday.
Terrance Arceneaux added 10 points for Houston (25-4, 17-1 Big 12), which has won eight straight. The Cougars became the first team to win the regular-season championship in its first two years in a major conference since Idaho, which won the PCC in the 1921-22 and 1922-23 seasons. Houston joined the Big 12 in 2023.
The Cougars, who have won 12 straight over Cincinnati, shot 54% and owned a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Day Day Thomas scored 19 points and Jizzle James added 18 for Cincinnati (17-12, 7-11). The Bearcats shot 44% and were 6 of 20 on 3-pointers.
Takeaways
Cincinnati: The Bearcats missed a chance to improve their resume for a possible NCAA Tournament berth. Cincinnati fell to 1-10 in Quad 1 games this season.
Houston: The Cougars continue to help their cause for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with their 21st win in 22 games. Houston improved to 15-4 in Quad 1 and 2 games this season, with all of its losses coming in Quad 1 games.
Key moment
Trailing 10-2 with 13½ minutes left in the first half, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson called timeout, and Cryer hit a jumper out of it to start a 18-2 run. Houston led 37-25 at the half.
Key stat
Houston dominated the paint with a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint.
Up next
Houston hosts Kansas on Monday, and Cincinnati hosts Kansas State on Wednesday.
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L.J. Cryer scored 22 points and No. 3 Houston won its ninth straight game with a 65-59 victory over Kansas on Monday night.
Emanuel Sharp added 12 points off the bench, including two free throws that pushed Houston's lead to 63-59 with 20 seconds left. The Cougars (26-4, 18-1 Big 12) went 4 of 4 from the foul line down the stretch.
Cryer had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the first half as Houston took a 30-27 lead into the break.
Milos Uzan finished with 10 points, and Mylik Wilson had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Cougars, who shot 35% from the field and were 7 of 20 on 3-pointers.
Hunter Dickinson had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Jayhawks (19-11, 10-9), who shot 45%. KJ Adams Jr. added 15 points and David Coit had 14 off the bench.