RECAP: Arizona falls 72-60 against Houston in Sweet Sixteen

Arizona has battled through slow starts and turnover issues all season long and has been able to find its way back in games to victory. Unfortunately, when you run into a veteran team like Houston, it is a recipe for disaster.

That was the case for top-seed Arizona (33-4) as 14 turnovers and allowing 19 second-chance points provide to be too much to overcome in a 72-60 loss to Houston in the Sweet Sixteen ending the Wildcats 2021-22 season.

"Houston is one of those teams where you're better served off if you play them a couple of times," coach Tommy Lloyd said. "I think the first time you play them; they do the things they're good at such a high level that it's hard for you to get comfortable the first time around, and maybe the second time you play them, you can try to tell your guys what's coming, but they actually have a lot better feel for it actually having experienced it."

The Cougars' defense stifled the Wildcats holding them to 33% from the field and 7-for-22 from the 3-point line. Arizona's defense couldn't match the intensity giving up 46% from the field, and saw Houston (32-5) knock down nine shots from beyond the arc.

The game-changer for Houston was guard Kyler Edwards who finished with 19 points on 6 of 13 shooting, and when the Wildcats needed a stop, Edwards hit big shot after big shot with his five 3-pointers in the game.

The Wildcats were able to cut it down to a 2-point game making it 42-40 with 13:27, then Houston went on a 10-2 run and never looked back.

Guard Benn Mathurin struggled in the first half with four points but started to find his rhythm and tried to put the team on his back. Mathurin finished with 15 points going 4-for-14 from the field and shooting 29% from the 3-point line.

"I came back off a strong game, so I would just say they were pretty aggressive on me when I was dribbling the ball and coming off-ball screens," Mathurin said. "So, I would just say they were pretty aggressive with me. I was able to talk with my coaches and see the best options for me when I was coming out of ball screens, or some read I could make in order for the best of the team."

Now, Mathurin will have a decision to make, to stay in college another year or to go pro and enter his name in the NBA Draft. He will have until May 30 to make his choice.

"Next thing for me is to get in the gym and get better," Mathurin said when asked about his NBA future. "Whatever the future has for me. That's basically it."

Out of all of the Wildcats' offensive struggles, the most noticeable problem was with forward Azuolas Tubelis, who finished with two points.

"He obviously didn't play very good by his standards the last couple of games," Lloyd said. "I felt like at the start of the second half, he was giving us something, and we were kind of able to get him in some different short role scenarios. He got downhill, and he had one of those weekends where he couldn't buy a shot."

Over the last two games, Tubelis averaged 3.5 points and shot 13% from the field will, turning the ball over seven times in his first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Although losing in the Sweet Sixteen never feels good, Arizona surprised people around the basketball world. The Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 preseason polls and went on to win the conference regular-season and tournament championship while securing a No. 1 seed.

"We're proud of the guys. We started the season, and nobody believed in us. We made them believe in us," center Christian Koloko said when asked to reflect on the year. "I want to thank the fans because they show us unbelievable support throughout the season."

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