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Peat and Burries Drop 21 Each: Arizona's Rookie Duo Powers Wildcats Past Houston in Title Game

In a thrilling Big 12 Championship showdown on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats edged out No. 2 Houston 79-74 to claim the tournament title and complete a rare sweep of the regular-season and conference crowns. Arizona built a 44-36 halftime lead and stretched it to as many as 15 points in the second half before holding off a late Cougars rally, improving to 32-2 overall while dropping Houston to 28-6. Freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries each poured in 21 points—the first time a pair of rookies have hit 20 in a Big 12 title game—with Peat adding six rebounds and Burries sealing the win with two clutch free throws in the final seconds. Jaden Bradley, named tournament Most Outstanding Player, chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Ivan Kharchenkov added 12 points in a balanced Wildcats attack.

The victory avenged Arizona's loss to these same Cougars in last year's championship game and marked the program's first Big 12 Tournament title since joining the league. Tommy Lloyd's squad controlled the tempo late, forcing Houston into tough shots after the Cougars got within six on a Milos Uzan three-pointer with under a minute left. Arizona shot efficiently enough to withstand Houston's trademark defense, becoming just the 13th school in conference history to sweep both titles in the same season—a feat that has often preceded deep NCAA runs. Bradley's steady hand and the freshmen's breakout performances underscored why the Wildcats have been one of the nation's most dominant teams all year, winning 18 of their last 19 games entering the final.

Now Arizona turns its sights to the NCAA Tournament, where they're locked in as a projected No. 1 seed and will open March Madness next week in what promises to be a favorable bracket. With the momentum of back-to-back titles and a veteran core led by Bradley, the Wildcats look primed for a deep run, starting against a yet-to-be-determined lower-seeded opponent in the first round. If they keep playing this locked-in brand of basketball, Tucson fans could be dreaming of a Final Four trip or better by the time Selection Sunday wraps up.