“You hope for the best,” Lloyd said. “I know how tough JB is, and unfortunate things can obviously happen in those scenarios. But they went in, and I think they looked at it real quick. And when the doctor came out with a smile on his face — before he said anything to me — I was a little bit relieved.”
Still, Lloyd had to figure out how to win the game. The Wildcats were leading 48-36 when Bradley went out with 17:40 left to play, and were actually up by 15 when he returned with 14:35 left.
But Bradley said it “felt a little different” playing upon his return, and he did not score the rest of the way, missing two shots and turning the ball over — although that was against a collapsing Houston defense that might have forced a turnover against just about anybody.
“Crazy defense,” he said of Houston. “You get in tough spots sometimes.”
The turnover came at a tense time for the Wildcats, when the Cougars had gone on a 12-0 runto cut UA’s lead to just three points.
After Bradley’s turnover, Houston made it a 14-0 run when Mercy Miller made a layup that made it 59-58.  But the Wildcats went back ahead 69-62 less than three minutes later after Kharchenkov drove in for a layup and made two free throws on UA’s next possession.
With 59 seconds left, Bradley drove in for a layup with his right hand that missed, and Houston responded with a 3-pointer from Milos Uzan that cut UA’s lead to just 75-72 with 52 seconds left.
But Motiejus Krivas hit a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left and Burries sealed it when he hit two more free throws with eight seconds left.
Houston’s Kingston Flemings (4) shoots over Arizona’s Brayden Burries (5) during the first half in the championship of the Big 12 Tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo.
Charlie Riedel, Associated Press
Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov (8) and Houston’s Chase McCarty (24) reach for a rebound during the first half in the championship of the Big 12 Tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo.
Charlie Riedel, Associated Press
The win moved Arizona into Selection Sunday at 32-2, virtually assured of the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Region and first-round game Friday in San Diego against a No. 16 seed. The Cougars dropped to 28-6, still likely at least a No. 2 seed — and, possibly an assignment in the South region that would put them in Houston if they reach the second weekend.