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Wednesday, December 25, 2024
The first two NCAA Tournament bids went out after dramatic finishes in championship games to set the stage. Plus a long day of tournaments ends with a thrilling back-and-forth between two star guards, a surprise champion in the ACC and a three-way tie atop the Big East.
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.
Wisconsin is playing well at a good time, and the Badgers kept that up by winning on the road against another team playing well of late. Plus a couple of regular season titles are still to be decided, while a first-year Division I team claims at least a share of a conference title and overtime is needed in a key Conference USA game.
The Jayhawks did what their opposing coach figured, and they were too much for the Longhorns in the second half. Plus the Seminoles win another, the MEAC race gets a little tighter, and one conference leader has been especially hot on the road of late.
Is North Carolina turning a corner all of a sudden, and before Cole Anthony comes back? Plus a tough road loss in the Big Ten, one team stays winless in its conference, and a key Wolverine will be missing on Tuesday.
Experienced but very small, Montana and its terrific backcourt played through a key injury to own the Big Sky for the second straight year
Virginia slowly pulled away from Virginia Tech in the second half on the road Monday night, doing so in a most Virginia-like way, slowly and in a most satisfying way for the winners. Also, Kansas State takes care of business on the road, and TCU’s NCAA tourney chances running into trouble.
After a few years away-what could even be called a long absence for a program so used to postseason success-Murray State is back in the NCAA Tournament. And it couldn’t be in much more satisfying fashion.
By its own lofty standards, the Big Ten has had a rather lousy basketball season. It’s hard to have much sympathy for a conference that practically prints money, but one supposes the league deserved a night like Thursday for its troubles this year.
The Champions Classic gave us all we could hope for in a great doubleheader. Plus more opening night ideas, a freshman is finally eligible, and how long two Yellow Jackets are not eligible is now known.
