Houston drilled BYU at the Fertitta Center. But lately, the Cougars from Provo have been just as hot as the Cougars who won the regular-season Big 12 Conference championship. And now, two sets of Cougars put their long winning streaks on the line in Friday night's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinal at Kansas City.

Houston faces BYU in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Friday, March 14, 2025, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Emanuel Sharpe scored 26 points, LJ Cryer had 20 and second-ranked Houston stifled No. 17 BYU in a 74-54 victory Friday night that moved the Cougars into the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the second consecutive season.

Houston (29-4) played without J'Wan Roberts, its leading rebounder, after he sprained his ankle early in the second half of the Cougars' quarterfinal win over Colorado. Roberts watched from the bench with his right foot in a walking boot.

Houston was forced to play BYU in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals without injured big man J'Wan Roberts. Turns out the second-ranked Cougars still had plenty of guys capable of playing some defense.

In the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, BYU scored 49 points in the first half against Iowa State. But in the semifinals against #2 Houston, BYU didn’t eclipse the 49-point mark until there were three minutes left in the game.

Both BYU’s nine game win streak and Big 12 tournament stay have come to an end. The Cougars were vanquished by No. 2 Houston Friday night in Kansas City, falling in 74-54 fashion to arguably the best team in the sport.