5 takeaways from Arizona’s win over Houston for the Big 12 Tournament title | Michael Lev

Here are my top five takeaways from Arizona’s 79-74 victory over Houston to claim the Big 12 Tournament championship on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri:

1. ‘Unbreakable spirit’

Before we get into the details of the game, let’s talk about the season to date and what lies ahead.

Some contend it was the best regular season in UA men’s basketball history given the strength of the schedule and the conference. That’s totally subjective. But you’d be hard-pressed to find one that’s more impressive.

Winning the regular-season league title is a bigger accomplishment than winning the tourney; the former is a test of season-long excellence and endurance, while the latter is more random (small sample size).

To do both — and get through it all with only two losses — is borderline astonishing.

We’ve praised this team’s physical toughness before; its mental toughness is equally extraordinary.

Saturday’s game — the third in three days for both sides — became a battle of wills. All of Arizona’s bigs had foul trouble. Its most important player, Jaden Bradley, got hurt (more on that in the next item). Houston made multiple runs.

The Wildcats overcame it all, and there they were, standing with ESPN’s Kris Budden on a makeshift stage in the heart of Kansas City — “the Las Vegas of the Midwest,” as Tommy Lloyd dad-jokingly referred to it.

“They’re resilient,” Lloyd said as confetti showered him and the players he dubbed “humble warriors.”

“They just have this unbreakable spirit.”

Their next step, barring a massive upset, is San Diego for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. It’ll be beyond shocking if Arizona doesn’t at least make the Sweet 16. It’ll be bitterly disappointing if the Wildcats don’t make the Final Four.

But as a wise man — Lloyd — reminded everyone Saturday: It’s one game at a time.

Onto the next.

2. The Bradley scare

Every Arizona fan’s worst nightmare occurred 2:20 into the second half.

Bradley drove to his right and smacked his left hand/wrist into Emanuel Sharp. Bradley immediately began wincing, then jogged into the locker room.

Uh-oh.

The worst-case scenario for the Wildcats in a conference tournament they didn’t need to win to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament was coming to life. The freakout could be felt from Oro Valley to Vail.

Bradley returned at the 14:35 mark — a span of 3 minutes and 5 seconds of clock time that felt 10 times longer. ESPN reported that X-rays taken in the locker room were negative. But Bradley’s left wrist and part of his hand were heavily wrapped. And he struggled after he returned.

Bradley went 0 for 2 from the field (both missed layups) and turned the ball over three times. Houston smartly hounded him and dug at the ball. He appeared to be impaired to some degree.

Now, let’s keep in mind a couple of factors. The first is that whatever tape job Bradley received was relatively hasty. The other is that he didn’t have a single second to get used to it.

Assuming he needs something like that moving forward — pure guesswork at this point — the trainers will have more time to figure out what feels and fits best. And Bradley will have time to rehab and take reps with his wrist wrapped in practice.

It’s also his left wrist/hand, which is better than his right. It shouldn’t affect his shot — which was on point in the first half, when he had 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2 of 2 from beyond the arc and 3 of 3 from the foul line.

As is often the case with Bradley, he sensed what his team needed and provided it — in this case, scoring. That’s because his backcourt mate was struggling. It was only temporary.

3. No worries with Burries

After a string of spectacular games — 20-plus points in four of five contests — Brayden Burries went 0 for 7 from the field against Iowa State on Friday night.

Weird.

Then, against Houston, Burries missed his first three attempts — including a pair of air-balls from 3-point range.

Weirder.

Was Burries morphing into Caleb Love? That’s not meant as a knock on Love. He was a stud at Arizona. But he was streaky. He could get sizzling hot for weeks, then go cold for multiple games.

It turns out there was nothing to see here. Burries was just fine.

Better than fine, actually. He finished with a team-high-tying 21 points, made nine of his final 10 field-goal attempts and knocked down all seven of his foul shots.

Burries did what he does best — score in myriad ways. He made a pair of 3-pointers. He drove to the basket. And he made some difficult, contested shots in the midrange — including a critical, off-balance jumper off the glass with the shot clock winding down to push Arizona’s lead to 73-64 with 2:48 to play.

Burries also assumed a good chunk of the ball-handling duties after Bradley got banged up, picking up his partner the way Bradley picked him up in the early going. Finally, Burries hit the last two free throws to put the game on ice.

4. Peak Peat

The player who tied Burries for team-high honors was fellow freshman Koa Peat. Per ESPN, they’re the first pair of freshman teammates to score 20-plus points in a Big 12 Tournament game.

I wrote after the semifinals against Iowa State that Peat should strongly consider defying convention by coming back for another year at Arizona. I still stand by that. But he offered a reminder Saturday of what he can be when he’s at his best.

Against one of the toughest defenses in the country, Peat operated aggressively and decisively. Every time he touched the ball, he seemed to know exactly what he wanted to do with it.

Peat had the spin move working against the Cougars, using his big body to create leverage and space. He crashed the offensive glass for a pair of buckets. He even made 7 of 11 foul shots. (Did Peat alter his form a bit or did I imagine that?)

During Friday’s game, I compared Peat to Draymond Green. That did not go over well.

Yes, I get it — Peat doesn’t have the motor or mean streak that Green has. I was talking more about the type of role Peat could play someday in the NBA.

He has the court vision and instincts to be a point forward operating from the elbows. He also has the footwork to keep smaller players in front of him. Do you remember that sequence when he stymied Kingston Flemings? That’s the kind of play that catches NBA scouts’ attention.

5. Turnovers telling

Halfway through Saturday’s game, Arizona was trending toward a remarkable statistical feat.

The Wildcats had only two turnovers at halftime. In the first meeting, on Feb. 21, they had only five — the second fewest committed by a Houston opponent this season. The only team that had less: Iowa State, which had just three turnovers on Feb. 16.

The Cougars cranked up the defensive intensity in the second half, forcing six UA turnovers — including three by Bradley. Houston had 10 points off those turnovers after scoring just two that way in the first half. It helped them get back in the game.

Still, Arizona’s eight turnovers were tied for the fourth fewest by a Houston foe this season. If you’re looking for the formula to beat the Cougars — who could meet the Wildcats again in the NCAA Tournament — that just might be it.

Protect the basketball.

Houston has six losses this season. In all six, the opposition has turned the ball over 12 or fewer times. When it’s 10 or less, the Cougars’ record is 4-5.

It’s hard to come up with a comparable stat for Arizona. The Wildcats have lost only two times by a combined seven points, including an overtime game.

Their only noteworthy trend is that they keep finding ways to win — no matter the opponent, the venue or the stakes.