Houston guard Emanuel Sharp (21) smiles with a piece of the Big 12 net in his mouth after winning the Big 12 Championship, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

To coach Kelvin Sampson, the conference tournament was just a chance to showcase how powerful the Big 12 is. Through three days of grueling competition, the Cougars made it clear that they can survive and thrive like no other, even without graduate forward J’Wan Roberts, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle.

Sampson knew Houston men’s basketball was a dominant force in the conference after going 19-1 in league play, including a perfect 10-0 record on the road to claim the Big 12 regular season title.

Now, they have more hardware to show for it as they claimed a 72-64 win over Arizona in Kansas City, Mo., to become Big 12 tournament champions for the first time. They became the first active Big 12 program to claim both the regular season and tournament titles since Kansas accomplished the feat in 2017-18.

“Proud to represent the Big 12,” Sampson said. “It’s an honor for our kids.”

Houston celebrates winning the Big 12 Championship as streamers and confetti rain down, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

As junior guard Milos Uzan nailed down a 3-pointer to regain a lead over the Wildcats, he clapped his hands as he backpedaled along the court. The Wildcats never led again, and claps for Houston continued to sound. He finished the game with a career-high 25 points and four 3-pointers. He never even turned the ball over.

Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp, the tournament MOP, finished with 17 points and hit three 3-pointers.

At the final buzzer, the Cougars held the best offensive team in the Big 12 to just five 3-pointers overall and did not allow a field goal for the last 5:32.

Seven straight points courtesy of Uzan and graduate guard Mylik Wilson gave Houston a 10-point lead with over 11 minutes remaining in the contest. A 16-5 run from the Wildcats was enough to take it right back, but it wasn’t the first time Houston had to fight from behind.

Houston held them to a 0-7 start from the field and led for almost 14 minutes.

However, the Wildcats found their footing, going on a 15-2 run to gain a five-point advantage over the Cougars. Despite Houston’s best attempt to regain control, the Wildcats entered the half with a 33-28 lead. 

Uzan and Sharp took care of Houston’s first 12 points of the second half to tie the game at 40. 

Uzan passed the ball to senior forward Ja’Vier Francis, who slashed a dunk through the hoop to give Houston an advantage, but redshirt sophomore Henri Veesaar dunked his own on the other end to tie it back up at 42.

The game had six lead changes, but Houston held on the longest, leading for 27:51.

“It’s been an awesome year,” Sampson said. “Especially considering how we started and the journey that these kids have had, just really proud of them and the staff.”

This win is just the beginning. Houston, which reached 30 wins for the fourth straight season, aspires to earn a title bigger than conference champions. After selection Sunday, the Cougars will get a clearer picture of their path to glory.

sports@thedailycougar.com