Watch: No. 2 Houston buzzer-beater overturned as Cougars beat No. 11 Baylor in OT

Instead, Associated Press No. 2 Houston needed overtime to fend off a furious second-half rally from No. 11 Baylor, which never led in regulation of the 82-76 Cougars win.

Baylor freshman forward Yves Missi had a chance to give the Bears their first lead when he stepped up to the free throw line with four seconds remaining and the game tied at 69. He missed the attempt, and after a Houston rebound, Shead dribbled the ball upcourt and launched the three-pointer moments after the clock hit zero. The shot was waived off after review.

Houston gathered itself in overtime, outscoring Baylor 13-7.

The win puts the Cougars in the driver’s seat for a Big 12 regular season title in their first year as a conference member.

Houston (24-3, 11-3 in Big 12) is one of the top contenders to cut down the nets at this year’s NCAA Tournament, and its suffocating early defense against the Bears showed why it will be formidable in March.

Baylor (19-8, 8-6 in Big 12) was held scoreless for the first three minutes of the game, recording twice as many turnovers (four) as field goal attempts (two). At the 8:09 mark of the first half, the Bears had 10 points.

They entered the game averaging 82.6 points per game but couldn’t reach that threshold even with an extra five minutes against the Cougs.

The win is the fifth consecutive for Houston, with a one-game lead plus the tiebreaker over the conference’s second-place team, No. 6 Iowa State (20-6, 9-4 in Big 12).

While it’s in pole position, Houston is not in the clear about finishing the regular season atop the conference standings. Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Cougars have the third-toughest remaining strength of schedule.

Challenges remain, but like on Saturday against Baylor, Houston doesn’t need a miracle to come out on top. BPI gives the Cougars a 95.4 percent chance of winning the conference.