"With more than 40 days until the Final Four, men's college basketball fans were gifted a preview of potential national semifinal matchups in Indianapolis. The top four teams in the latest AP poll headline a loaded Saturday slate, with No. 2 Houston hosting No. 4 Arizona, and No. 1 Michigan and No. 3 Duke dueling it out in Washington, D.C. (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)."
"We learned that the Wildcats can still beat any team in America -- they proved as much in one of the sport's most hostile environments against one of its best teams. They had been nearly flawless until last week, suffering their first losses of the season at Kansas then to Texas Tech on JT Toppin's 31 points. But that's it. They have otherwise been one of the nation's most consistent contenders for four months. More importantly, they have excelled in the crucial moments that define a season, like this one."
"Their defense was excellent in the second half as Houston struggled to score. The Cougars didn't make a field goal for nearly eight minutes in the second half, their longest scoring drought of the season. Jaden Bradley made big shots down the stretch to finish with 17 points while Ivan Kharchenkov added 16 and Anthony Dell'Orso had 22 off the bench. The Wildcats' 3-point struggles (25% on Saturday) mean they don't have a knockout blow in their arsenal, though, so they failed to extend the lead by more than 10 points. -- Medcalf"
Arizona beat Houston 73-66 on Houston's home floor, showing resilience and strong late-game defense. The Wildcats had been nearly flawless until recent losses at Kansas and to Texas Tech, and they have remained consistent contenders for months. Arizona's second-half defense produced Houston's longest scoring drought of the season — nearly eight minutes without a field goal. Jaden Bradley finished with 17 points, Ivan Kharchenkov added 16 and Anthony Dell'Orso scored 22 off the bench. Arizona shot 25% from three, limiting their margin and preventing a double-digit lead. Houston's scoring struggles raised fresh questions about its offensive reliability.
Read at ESPN.com
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