Andy Katz of NCAA.com rated the Arizona game at Houston on Saturday as the fourth-best this week. Houston has won six consecutive games entering its contest at Iowa State on Monday. Arizona has lost two in a row entering its game against BYU on Wednesday.
Houston leads the all-time series with Arizona 8-6. The Cougars have defeated the Wildcats the last three times the teams have played. Houston beat Arizona twice during the 2024-25 season and defeated the Wildcats in the 2022 NCAA Tournament South Regional Semifinals in San Antonio.
Houston moved ahead of Arizona in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches poll this week. The Cougars are fourth in both polls and Arizona is fourth. Arizona is ahead of Houston in the main metrics sites, except for Bart Torvik and the ESPN Basketball Power Index.
ESPN Metrics gives Houston a 65.0 percent chance to defeat Arizona. No odds have been posted yet for Arizona at Houston at the FanDuel Sportsbook. Houston leads the Big XII with 11 wins and one loss entering this week. Arizona is second in the Big XII with 10 wins and two losses.
Must-see matchups all week 🍿@TheAndyKatz drops his top games of the week 📺 pic.twitter.com/FUmBqn47Jv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 16, 2026
Big XII favorite and projections
Houston is the favorite to win the Big XII with less than three weeks left in the regular season. The Cougars are -165 to win the Big XII in the FanDuel Sportsbook and have an 81.9 percent chance to win the league in the ESPN BPI. The ESPN BPI simulations project Houston to finish with 15.4 wins and 2.6 losses in the Big XII.
Arizona is the second favorite to win the Big XII at +270 in the FanDuel Sportbook odds and has a 33.0 percent chance per the ESPN BPI. The ESPN BPI projects Arizona to finish with 14.3 wins and 3.7 losses in the Big XII in its simulations.