Brayden Burries’ 21 points push Arizona past Houston 79-74 in Big 12 championship rematch

Arizona edges Houston again, this time for a conference tournament trophy

Arizona and Houston met with a recent championship history between them, and the sequel was decided by late-game execution and free throws. On Sunday, March 15, 2026, No. 2 Arizona defeated No. 5 Houston 79-74 in the Big 12 tournament championship, completing a title-game rematch between two programs that have quickly become central to the league’s postseason picture.

Guard Brayden Burries led Arizona with 21 points, providing a steady scoring line that helped the Wildcats withstand multiple Houston pushes. Arizona’s offensive balance and composure at the foul line proved decisive in the closing minutes, when the margin narrowed to a one-possession game before the Wildcats converted key free throws to secure the win.

How the game turned: pace, half-to-half shifts, and closing possessions

The matchup featured long stretches in which both teams traded bursts of momentum rather than sustained control. Arizona carried a narrow edge into halftime and maintained enough scoring pressure after the break to keep Houston from taking a clean lead in the final possessions.

Houston’s approach relied on defensive pressure and physical rebounding, attempting to speed Arizona into tougher late-clock attempts. Arizona countered by keeping possessions organized and getting to the line, limiting the impact of Houston’s pressure with a steady stream of points even when field goals were harder to come by.

The final stretch was shaped by possession-by-possession efficiency: Arizona’s made free throws offset Houston’s attempts to close the gap with quick scores.

Context: a rematch of last year’s Big 12 title game

The 2026 championship carried added weight because it followed the previous season’s Big 12 tournament final, when Houston defeated Arizona 72-64 on March 15, 2025. That result was anchored by Houston’s late defensive surge and helped define the early rivalry between the teams in their shared conference era.

This time, Arizona reversed the outcome and captured the league’s automatic NCAA tournament berth that comes with the conference tournament title. The win also reinforced Arizona’s standing at the top of the conference, adding a postseason trophy to its 2025-26 body of work.

What it means for both teams entering March

• Arizona: A tournament championship and a high-profile win over a top-five opponent strengthen the Wildcats’ résumé heading into Selection Sunday.
• Houston: The Cougars’ performance showed they can match Arizona for long stretches, but the closing sequence underscored the premium on late-game scoring and free-throw defense in March.
• The Big 12: Back-to-back title-game meetings between Arizona and Houston highlight the league’s top-end consistency and the likelihood of multiple teams drawing favorable NCAA tournament seeds.

With the scoreline tight to the end, Arizona’s ability to convert points at the line and get a leading performance from Burries ultimately separated the teams in a second consecutive Big 12 championship clash.