Arizona vs. Houston live score, updates, highlights from 2026 college basketball game

Arizona enters as the No. 6 offense and No. 4 defense in the country. Houston ranks No. 10 offensively and No. 3 defensively per BPI.

Arizona vs. Houston grades out as the 9th-highest pregame matchup quality of the 2025–26 season.

Two top-10 units on both ends of the floor 😤 pic.twitter.com/YYLNXxe3DF

For the first time in program history, No. 2 Houston will host a top-five showdown inside Fertitta Center when No. 4 Arizona visits at 3 p.m. Saturday in a game that carries major Big 12 implications.

The matchup features the top two teams in the conference standings, with the winner claiming sole possession of first place.

Though it marks the first home top-five game for the Cougars, Kelvin Sampson’s program is familiar with the spotlight. Houston owns a 5-4 record all-time in top-five matchups at all sites, including two appearances during the 2025 NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

The Cougars (23-3) enter Saturday looking to rebound from a 70-67 loss at No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings scored 22 points with four 3-pointers, five rebounds and four assists in Ames, while senior guard Emanuel Sharp added 16 points with four 3s.

LIVE: Watch Arizona vs. Houston on the ESPN App

Freshman forward Chris Cenac grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds against the Cyclones and leads Houston with 7.6 boards per game, ranking among the Big 12’s top 10.

Flemings paces the Cougars with 16.6 points and 5.3 assists per contest, shooting 49.7% from the field. Sharp averages 16.5 points and recently passed Marcus Sasser as Houston’s all-time leader in 3-pointers.

Arizona (24-2) comes into the game after having a 23-0 streak snapped last week. Tommy Lloyd's team have lost two of the last three with a bounce back win over BYU on Wednesday night.

Houston has dominated at home, posting a 122-7 record inside Fertitta Center, including wins in 18 straight and 51 of its last 52 games.