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Sunday, December 22, 2024
Three more automatic bids went out on Sunday, two of them to repeat champions, to set the stage for the week ahead. Plus lower seeds rule in the Colonial, three teams share the regular season title in two conferences, and a coaching change comes out west on a day off from tournament action.
As conference tournaments get into full swing, the Mountain West takes center stage with its share of drama, including a shocker to end the day. Plus the Huskies get a big win to affect the top of their conference race, the Pac-12 is down to two for its regular season crown, and the Eagles soar above their competitors to control their own destiny in the Big Sky.
In a must-win game that was a big opportunity for the home team, Maryland rallied and then ripped their hearts out of them. Plus the leaders win in the Southern, a key guard comes back in a good win in the SEC, and a long show-cause will be one to keep in mind later on.
If the Big Ten is to get 11 or even 12 teams into the NCAA Tournament, a couple of teams need to play their way in, including one who won on Sunday. Plus the Bearcats finally avoid overtime, two conferences get tighter, and a subpoena is served to rekindle the hard feelings between a school and its former coach.
There was no shortage of urgency heading into the home stretch for NC State, and they certainly showed it in taking advantage of a big quality win opportunity. Plus the Wildcats have a bigger lead, a dramatic home win on a night with road wins in the Big East, and two league leaders go on the road and win to stay tied at the top.
A battle for second place was easily the best of the big TV games on the night, with the winning team getting a big boost from an emerging role player. Plus a mismatch in the Big 12, a clear leader in the Patriot League, and a Cyclone is done for the season and perhaps his college career.
Another long losing streak has come to an end, and against an unlikely opponent as well. Plus a tale of two halves in the ACC, some big shooting in the Big East and one Big Ten game, and a Big 12 team is finally on the board as well.
Monday night brought a result no one ever saw coming back in different times for a program and its coach. Plus a new number one hangs on, a clock malfunction down south, and some sad news with a coaching legend.
In the early going, the standings in one conference look very little like the preseason poll, especially with the lone undefeated team having a nice lead. Plus the Mountaineers win a slugfest, a Blue Devil is out for a while and another ACC player succumbs to a constant source of pain for the season.
It was the second day of the new year, but also still bowl season, and a couple games went almost as long as a college football contest as Purdue and Minnesota went double overtime and UMKC and Seattle went even longer.
