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Sunday, December 22, 2024
For one night at least, it felt like the 1990s or even the early 2000s in Winston-Salem. Plus the Spartans rally to take over second, the Aztecs and Sooners bounce back, and the Titans won’t be in any postseason play this year despite their best efforts.
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.
A great season to date had a day with two unfortunate events, one on and one off the court, that one can only hope won’t sap all the joy from the season. Plus a legendary coach passes on, another incident in a big road win, and one team stays undefeated while another rebounds from a bad loss.
2019 ended with a reminder of how conference play is different, especially having to go on the road. Plus a shocker in Ames, a near-shocker in the Big East, and a mix of conference and non-conference games closed out the year.
On a light night of action, none of the games were all that competitive, including a rivalry game that gave us a little to think about with both teams. That, and a scary development for a former NBA commissioner.
The last game of the day was a big one in Ames, where the home team got a much-needed quality win. Plus the other team lost more than a game, an ACC power’s scoring struggles continue, and two teams got big road wins on the day.
Michigan got the first big win under its new head coach, and now has a chance for another one right behind it. Plus the Orlando Invitational gets going, lots of drama in a tournament out west, and a cool story coming out of the big upset in Durham a couple of nights earlier.
For the first time in 15 years, the Big 12 champion was not Kansas. The league was once again atop conference rankings, though, led by a program whose rise the past couple years very nearly resulted in a national title.
Half of the field headed to New York in the NIT is known, and both could use this as a springboard into next season. Plus more action in the CIT, coaching changes take center stage and more players are on the move as well.
The Pac-12 champions were expected to have a chance at that before the season, though not quite in the fashion they did it. Plus championship games rule the day, a few more semifinals set the stage, and one more coaching change.
