Conference championship week in college hoops is always a doozy, and Championship Saturday is traditionally the most action-packed day of the bunch when it comes to punching tickets to the tournament. Ten teams won their respective conference tournament championships on Sunday, and six of those teams earned bids to the Big Dance that they wouldn’t have if they had lost.
From stalwarts at the top of the rankings like Duke and Arizona, to a former March darling in UMBC, some well known programs across college basketball got to lift a trophy on Saturday. For some, it will be the highlight of their season and even their program’s history. For others, it’s just the first step toward hopefully achieving an even bigger goal during the first week of April.
Big 12 – Arizona
Arizona continued its dream season with a slice of revenge in the Big 12 championship game, beating Houston 79-74 after losing to the Cougars on the same stage a year ago. Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, like they have all season, looked like a duo that could spark a national title run for the Wildcats. That’s not to mention Big 12 Player of the Year Jayden Bradley, who added 13 points and five rebounds in the win.
JoJo Tugler, one of the trio of remaining starters from Houston’s national runner-up, led the Cougars with 20 points on an efficient 9-of-15 from the field. He didn’t get much help from his teammates, however, as three Houston starters were held below double figures in scoring in the loss. Houston will likely sit on the No. 2 line when the brackets are unveiled tomorrow, while Arizona will certainly sit amongst the No. 1 seeds.
ACC – Duke
If you thought Duke would make easy work of Virginia after trouncing the Cavaliers by 26 points on Feb. 28, think again. Ryan Odom’s squad took the Blue Devils down to the wire on Saturday, although Cameron Boozer and company ultimately did pull the game out in the end. Boozer was held to a season-low 13 points on an strugglesome 3-of-17 from the field but led Duke with eight rebounds and eight assists to make up for the inefficient shooting performance.
Isaiah Evans was the real star of the show for Duke on Saturday, leading the Blue Devils with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Point guard Cayden Boozer, who was inserted into the starting lineup in place of injured Caleb Foster, scored 16 points and dished out four assists to surprisingly pick up for his brother’s slack. Duke also benefit from a slow night from Virginia star Thijs De Ridder, who was held to just five points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Big East – St. John’s
You’re going to have to come with something serious to beat the Johnnies in the Garden, and suffice to say, what Danny Hurley’s UConn Huskies brought on Saturday was not serious. Zuby Ejiafor and Bryce Hopkins poured in 18 points apiece on a combined 14-of-20 shooting to lead St. John’s to its second decisive win over UConn at home this season. Oziyah Sellers added 14 points for St. Johns, who took control of the game with a 10-0 run out of the gate and didn’t even come close to relinquishing it.
Tarris Reed’s 17 points led a largely abysmal offensive effort for UConn. Besides Reed, every Husky was held to seven points or less, and Solo Ball was held to just 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting and 0-of-4 from 3-point range. The loss will likely cost UConn a No. 1 seed and push the Huskies to the No. 2 line, while St. John’s could have very well improved upon its projected No. 5 seed with the performance it registered on Saturday.
Mountain West – Utah State
For as wide open as this year’s Mountain West tournament was perceived to be, it ended up being a pretty decisive trek to the trophy for the No. 1 seed Utah State Aggies. Utah State downed No. 2 seed San Diego State Guard MJ Collins, who led the Aggies with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting Saturday to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament the Aggies did not really need. San Diego State, who entered this week on the bubble, also hopes it won’t need the automatic bid after the Aztecs presumably did enough to bolster their at-large resume in Las Vegas.
MAC – Akron
We didn’t get the Miami (OH)/Akron matchup we were hoping for thanks to Miami’s shocking upset loss to UMass in the opening round of the MAC Tournament, but the dream for a two-bid MAC is still alive after No. 2 seed Akron narrowly escaped upset against No. 4 seed Toledo in a 79-76 thriller. Amani Lyles and Tavari Johnson led Akron with 15 points apiece, punching the Zips third consecutive ticket to the NCAA Tournament and their fourth in five seasons.
America East – UMBC
For the first time since shocking the world as a No. 16 seed in 2018, the UMBC Terriers are headed back to the NCAA Tournament after a 15-point trouncing of No. 2 seed Vermont in the final. UMBC, the top seed, was the dominant team in the conference throughout the season with a 14-2 regular season record and proved their stature with three blowout wins to win the conference tournament. UMBC could very well find itself back on the No. 16 seed line for its return trip to the dance next week, which will at least be fun for deja vu’s sake.
MEAC – Howard
For the third time in four years, Howard is headed back to the NCAA Tournament after a 70-63 win over North Carolina Central on Saturday. Four of five starters reached double-figures in the win while each playing at least 30 minutes. Howard is expected to be a No. 16 seed when the bracket is unveiled Sunday and could be headed to Dayton to play in the First Four in a game where the Bison could earn some very valuable NCAA Tournament units with a win. Don’t be surprised if they skip that stage entirely though, depending on how the committee values certain first time entrants.
SWAC – Prairie View A&M
No. 8 seed Prairie View A&M pulled off the impossible in the SWAC Tournament, running the gauntlet and coming out with the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 3 seed Southern 72-66 in the final. Prairie View A&M won five games in five games starting on Tuesday, first knocking off Alcorn State before shocking No. 1 seed Bethune-Cookman and No. 5 seed Alabama A&M. The Panthers will likely find themselves at the First Four in Dayton.
Big West – Hawaii
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are dancing for the first time in a decade thanks to a 71-64 win over top-seeded UC Irvine in the Big West final. Isaac Johnson’s 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting led No. 2 seed Hawaii, while teammates Dre Bullock and Harry Rouhliadeff added 15 points apiece. Hawaii was a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament when the Rainbow Warriors last appeared in 2016, though that could be an ambitious hope for what they draw on Selection Sunday.
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