KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Emanuel Sharpe proved instrumental with a standout performance, securing 26 points as Houston, ranked second in the nation, dominated No. 17 BYU with a 74-54 win on Friday night. This victory catapulted the Cougars into the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the second consecutive year.
LJ Cryer’s contribution of 20 points, coupled with Milos Uzan adding 14 more, was crucial. Mylik Wilson’s impressive 13 rebounds further fortified the team’s performance. As the top seed in the tournament, Houston quickly established a strong lead early in the game, maintaining their momentum to enter Saturday night’s face-off with either ninth-ranked Texas Tech or Arizona, marking their 12th consecutive victory.
The match saw Houston (29-4) without their leading rebounder, J’Wan Roberts, due to a sprained ankle sustained in the previous game’s quarterfinal win over Colorado. From the sidelines, Roberts, with his right foot in a walking boot, witnessed a stellar defensive display by his team, one of the nation’s top defensive forces.
Houston’s defense held BYU in check by forcing them to miss their initial nine shot attempts, including seven unsuccessful tries from the three-point line. This defensive effort was pivotal after coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad achieved a Big 12 Tournament record by sinking 18 3-pointers in their 96-point romp over Iowa State in the quarterfinals. This nearly seven-minute dry spell for BYU allowed Houston to surge ahead to a 15-0 start, a lead they maintained throughout the game.
Although BYU reduced their 40-21 halftime deficit to 13 points midway through the second half, they never quite managed to pose a real threat to turn the game around. Keba Keita’s solid performance for BYU, contributing 14 points and 12 rebounds, alongside Dawson Baker’s 11 points and Richie Saunders’ 10, wasn’t enough to overcome Houston’s dominance.
Key takeaways include BYU’s ongoing drought in clinching a conference tournament title since 2001 in the Mountain West and Houston’s reaffirmation as the nation’s top team in defensive efficiency. The game’s pivotal moment came when Sharpe completed a four-point play with 13:40 remaining in the first half, extending Houston’s commanding lead to 15-0.
One significant statistic is Houston’s average victory margin over BYU stands at an impressive 25.5 points across their two encounters this season. Moving forward, Houston is set to compete either against the Red Raiders or Wildcats in the battle for the Big 12 title.
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