What we learned in Arizona’s win over Houston

With more than 40 days until the Final Four, men’s college basketball fans were given 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).

The Cougars’ second-half comeback bid fell short as they lost the first game of the powerhouse doubleheader to the Wildcats 73-66. What did the result teach us about the two contenders? ESPN’s Myron Medcalf breaks it down.

What we learned about Arizona

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

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Jaden Bradley sets up Anthony Dell’Orso with sweet dish for Arizona

Jaden Bradley sets up Anthony Dell’Orso with a sweet dish for Arizona vs. No. 2 Houston.

What we learned about Houston

This was the type of battle Kelvin Sampson’s Houston teams seem to enjoy, but the question that has seemingly plagued them for years remains: How will they overcome the scoring droughts that haunt them?

Houston went without a point between 12:11 and 4:32 in the second half against Arizona. And while the Wildcats’ defense played a significant role in that drought, the Cougars can’t expect to cut down the nets in April if they can’t get a bucket when they need one. They were also outscored 21-9 in the last 11 minutes of their 70-67 loss at Iowa State on Monday.

Do they have the offensive output to trade punches with the best teams in America? The NCAA tournament is decided by playmakers and stars, and the Cougars have them, but their inability to overcome a pair of ugly stretches in back-to-back games is concerning. This week’s losses suggest that unless star freshman Kingston Flemings can create shots in clutch moments, they may be vulnerable to more droughts at the most critical juncture of the season. — Medcalf