Insanity synonymous with March started in earnest on the primary day of the month Saturday as the game delivered dramatic finishes, dazzling performances and good old style {hardware} to a handful of groups that captured convention championships.
Within the SEC, Auburn clinched the outright league title after incomes its first win at Rupp Area since 1988 and a (gut-wrenching) Alabama loss to Tennessee. Within the Huge 12, Houston held serve at dwelling vs. Cincinnati to clinch the outright Huge 12 title for a second straight yr. Within the Huge East, St. John’s secured its first outright convention crown since 1985 with a win over Seton Hall. Additionally, within the Summit League, Omaha’s dominant win over Oral Roberts earned it a primary championship since transitioning to Division I in 2011.
Bucknell and American tied for the Patriot League regular-season title with the Bison successful the tiebreaker and incomes the No. 1 seed within the convention event.
That was however a style of the goodness the day introduced us. Elsewhere, Chucky Hepburn, Eric Dixon and Tarris Reed delivered unbelievable outings on the person entrance contributing to huge staff wins. On the staff entrance, Kentucky’s season took a tough left flip with a loss on the ground and a loss because of damage. And on the drama entrance, buzzer-beaters helped play spoiler to a number of finishes — and who does not love a great buzzer-beater?
Our crew of consultants have all the products on the large day with a recap under.
Winner: Auburn clinches outright SEC title
Auburn snapped a 20-game highway dropping streak in its collection with Kentucky and clinched an SEC title within the course of because the No. 1 Tigers dismantled the No. 17 Wildcats 94-78 for his or her first win inside Rupp Area since 1988. Miles Kelly led the cost with a season-high 30 factors on an off-day for nationwide participant of the yr candidate Johni Broome, who completed with simply 9 factors on 3-of-9 taking pictures. The win additional cemented Auburn’s place because the projected No. 1 seed for the NCAA Event and as soon as once more showcased the depth of a staff that’s now 27-2 (15-1 SEC). — David Cobb
Loser: Texas’ season is near being over
The ultimate nail within the coffin for Texas’ hopes of reaching the NCAA Event was the end result at dwelling in opposition to Georgia. Dealing with one other bubble staff in primarily a must-win sport, Texas fell behind by 17 at halftime and misplaced 83-67 to the Bulldogs. Texas’ first season as a member of the SEC is monitoring to finish, with this system lacking the event for the primary time since 2019. The seat for Texas coach Rodney Terry is likely to be beginning to heat up much more. — Cameron Salerno
Winner: St. John’s clinches outright Huge East crown
A 71-61 dwelling win over Seton Corridor clinched the outright Big East regular season championship for No. 7 St. John’s – its second-ever outright Huge East crown and first since 1985.
Johnnies coach Rick Pitino, now the king of New York for the newly-crowned champs, donned an all-white swimsuit within the successful effort, punctuating the penultimate sport of the common season for his program in simply his second yr main this system.
“I feel you construct a will to win,” Pitino advised CBS postgame. “You perceive that while you lose, no person goes to mattress with a thoughts. It is not concern — however inside, you hate dropping. Subsequent day you get up and get higher, however you do not fall asleep saying, ‘It is no huge deal, it is a loss.’ We do not really feel that manner.”
They have not needed to take care of that feeling a lot of late. St. John’s is 26-4 on the season and 17-2 in league play with one regular-season sport — a highway journey to Marquette subsequent Saturday — standing between it and postseason play. — Kyle Boone
Winner: Iowa State picks up spectacular victory over Arizona
Arizona made issues fascinating within the second half, however Iowa State cruised to a 84-67 victory over the No. 22 Wildcats at dwelling behind a balanced offensive assault. Iowa State was coming off back-to-back losses to Houston and Oklahoma State, so this was a pleasant bounce-back efficiency in opposition to the most effective groups within the Huge 12. With two video games to go, the main target for Iowa State will probably be bettering its seeding within the Huge 12 and NCAA Event. — Salerno
Loser: Texas A&M’s slide continues
Since bettering to 9-3 in SEC play with a win at dwelling over Arkansas final month, Texas A&M has dropped its final 4 video games – together with a 89-70 loss to No. 3 Florida on the highway. The unhealthy information for the Aggies is the schedule does not get a lot simpler to shut the season. Texas A&M will play No. 1 Auburn at dwelling after which LSU on the highway to shut the common season. The Aggies are in sixth place tie within the SEC heading into the ultimate week of the common season earlier than the SEC Event begins. — Salerno
Loser: Alabama squanders lead, loses on buzzer-beater
No. 6 Alabama squandered a nine-point second-half lead culminating with a dagger on the horn to fall 79-76 to No. 5 Tennessee after failing to contest Jahmai Mashack‘s game-winner. Mashack’s make got here from the midcourt brand and was launched — principally unchallenged — with lower than one second remaining on the sport clock.
It punctuated a frenetic last minute during which Alabama, main by 4 factors with simply over 30 seconds remaining, misplaced by three factors in heartbreaking style.
“I used to be not good over the past 30 seconds right this moment,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats mentioned. “I really feel like I failed these guys.”
The end result — together with No. 1 Auburn’s win earlier within the day — clinched the outright regular-season SEC title for the Tigers. — Boone
Loser: Kentucky’s fragility on show once more
With second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson now out for the season because of a lingering wrist concern, a hobbled Kentucky staff dedicated a season-high 18 turnovers. Level guard Lamont Butler performed with an enormous shoulder brace for a second straight sport and was ineffective because the hobbled Wildcats struggled to maintain tempo with the high-flying Tigers. At 19-10 (8-8 SEC), UK is prone to being compelled to play on the primary day of the SEC Event if it does not shut with no less than one victory in its last two video games. — Cobb
Loser: Arkansas will get outclassed by South Carolina
With simply over two weeks left till Choice Sunday, all Arkansas needed to do from now till then was not endure a catastrophic loss. Sadly for John Calipari’s staff, the doomsday situation got here to fruition in opposition to South Carolina on the highway. The Razorbacks, who’re a No. 11 seed and on the bubble in keeping with CBS Sports activities Bracketology Knowledgeable Jerry Palm, misplaced 72-53 to a South Carolina staff that entered the weekend with one win in opposition to SEC competitors. Arkansas was held to only 14 factors at halftime and shot 15 of 52 from the ground as a staff. At 17-12 general and 6-10 in SEC play, the Razorbacks could also be going through an uphill climb to listen to their identify known as later this month. — Salerno
Winner: Chucky Hepburn has profession day in Louisville win
Hepburn, Louisville’s senior guard, scored a career-high 37 factors in a 79-68 win for the Cardinals over Pitt contained in the KFC Yum! Heart. Hepburn’s 37 factors tie for the second-most in a single sport by a Louisville participant at school historical past behind Russ Smith’s 42 within the convention event in 2014 and tied with Jordan Nwora’s 37 in January 2020. He did his injury extremely on simply 11 field-goal makes an attempt and completed 6 of 6 from 3-point vary. — Boone
Winner: Villanova’s Eric Dixon has a giant senior day
Say what you’ll about Villanova, as a result of it hasn’t been a fairly season for the Wildcats, who’re working nicely off the NCAA Event bubble. However Dixon, a fifth-year ahead, continues constructing on a particular particular person season. He entered the Wildcats’ 80-70 win over Butler main the nation in scoring at 23.3 factors per sport and added to his whale of a season with 34 factors on senior day. It was his fifth 30+ level outing of the marketing campaign and one other instance of how he needs to be thought-about for All-American honors, regardless of his staff’s underwhelming efficiency. Deservedly, he acquired a standing ovation from the ‘Nova devoted after rising to No. 3 on this system’s all-time scoring record. — Cobb
Loser: Kansas takes one other L at dwelling
The sideways season of the preseason No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks once more took an surprising flip Saturday as No. 10 Texas Tech received 78-73 for the second time in program historical past inside Allen Fieldhouse. The house loss for Kansas ties a single-season excessive underneath coach Invoice Self and provides this system a 3rd dwelling loss in league play for the primary time since 1988-89.
Texas Tech inflicted the injury by launching a program-record 43 3s within the successful effort. It transformed on 15 of these makes an attempt and received the battle from past the arc over KU by 33 factors.
KU’s loss provides it double-digit losses on the season (10) for a second consecutive season. After opening final season because the preseason No. 1, it completed 2023-24 with a 23-11 file with its season ending within the second spherical of the NCAA Event. — Boone
Winner: Tarris Reed’s profession day paces UConn
Reed adopted up his 20-point, 10-rebound outing earlier this week in a win over Georgetown with a 24-point, 18-rebound, six-block efficiency in a 75-63 highway win over Providence. All three had been career-highs for the first-year Huskies switch from Michigan.
“Coach all the time says I’ve to play ferociously,” Reed mentioned after the sport.
Ferocious he was. Reed’s profession day earned him a spot in unique firm because the second Huge East participant since 2010 to have no less than 20 factors, 15 boards and 5 blocks in a convention sport, becoming a member of none aside from UConn alum Adama Sanogo. — Boone
Loser: Oklahoma’s tourney hopes take one other hit
Oklahoma entered the day as a No. 10 seed in Bracketology and will have used a win over Ole Miss to get again on the suitable aspect of the bubble. Ole Miss star Sean Pedulla drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19 seconds left, and the Rebels held on for an 87-84 win over a determined OU staff. A turning level within the sport got here within the last seconds — after Pedulla made the go-ahead shot — when Oklahoma was known as for a Flagrant 1 foul with 3.9 seconds left. After Ole Miss made each free throws, Oklahoma stole the following inbounds go however missed a half-court heave that might’ve despatched the sport to time beyond regulation. Except OU goes on a deep run within the SEC Event, its hopes of reaching the event will probably be slim. — Salerno
Winner: American, Bucknell full Patriot League altering of the guard
American clinched a share of the Patriot League for the primary time since 2009 because it beat perennial energy Colgate 67-59 on the highway for a season sweep. The Eagles are sharing the convention title with Bucknell, which clinched its piece of the crown with a 94-81 win at Holy Cross. It marks the primary time since 2018 that Colgate has not received no less than a share of the convention title. That was additionally the final time Bucknell received the league. Colgate may nonetheless construct on its streak of 5 straight NCAA Event appearances if it wins the Patriot League Event, however Saturday was a reminder that there are a few new high canine within the convention getting into the postseason. — Cobb
Loser: Nebraska‘s rally foiled by Minnesota
A wild rally by Nebraska during which it erased a 19-point second-half deficit and took the lead within the last 10 seconds was foiled by a surprising last-second rebuttal by Minnesota as Brennan Rigsby buried a triple to offer the Golden Gophers a go-ahead basket with underneath 5 seconds remaining. The shot lifted them to a 67-65 win as Nebraska’s shot at a game-winner as time expired bounced off the glass. — Boone
Winner: Omaha makes it a solo crown
It wasn’t a great day for the Cornhuskers, however there have been good vibes on the hardwood elsewhere within the state. An Omaha staff finest identified for destroying trash cans can now even be often known as the Summit League’s outright champion. The Mavericks had already received a share of their first convention crown as a Division I program. However on Saturday, they claimed all of it for themselves with an 80-57 win over Oral Roberts. It is a good factor they exercised some endurance earlier than obliterating this trash can. It seems the college’s chancellor, Joanne Li, was inside. — Cobb
Winner: Xavier earns big bubble win
Xavier made a press release with its 83-61 win over Creighton on Saturday because it continues combating for its life. Positive the Musketeers had received 4 straight, however all 4 of these wins got here in opposition to the underside 4 groups within the Huge East. Taking down Creighton (20-9, 13-5 Huge East) and doing it convincingly hits a bit totally different for a staff that entered because the final staff within the projected NCAA Event discipline, in keeping with Palm. Zach Freemantle led the best way with 23 factors, and Ryan Conwell added 20 for the Musketeers (19-10, 11-7). If Sean Miller’s membership can deal with enterprise in opposition to Butler and Windfall subsequent week, it ought to enter the Huge East Event feeling good about its probabilities of reaching the Huge Dance. — Cobb
Loser: Nation’s longest successful streak snapped
Ivy League champion Yale had its 13-game successful streak – longest within the nation main into Saturday – snapped with a 74-69 highway loss to Harvard. The longest energetic successful streak now belongs to Central Connecticut within the NEC, which prolonged its streak to 12 video games with a 55-48 win over Wagner. — Boone
