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Sunday, December 22, 2024
The Southeastern Conference is almost certainly on the precipice of a banner year for NCAA Tournament berths. Just which of those teams will receive them, though, and what might happen with them when they get there, will continue to be a mystery of the wildest proportions.
The Big 12 is ready to give us the great finish we have come to expect from it thus far this season, with history or an unlikely champion appearing to be the result. Plus home teams rule one conference, a road losing streak ends elsewhere, and some news in a big off-court story.
The Musketeers continue to win while being overshadowed by other stories. Plus a big season sweep in the SEC, a little of everything in the Big Ten, and a big health concern that goes beyond basketball in Virginia.
Of all the teams near the top of the rankings-scratch that, in the top 25 rankings at all-Cincinnati has been the mystery team of this season. And while the Bearcats will still be that for some time for many, they at least should have answered some questions Wednesday night.
It isn’t the best of times in Storrs, Connecticut, to be sure. Plus close ones in the Big Ten that go for the road teams, a bigger road comeback in the ACC, and a Tiger will be out indefinitely.
Could SMU be a program for the long haul, beyond the days of a big-name coach? Plus the absence of a starter isn’t a problem in Fort Worth or Tuscaloosa, the Fighting Irish take another hit to their depth, and a historic loss in the nation’s capital.
Can one player make this much difference? When it comes to Oklahoma, that answer seems increasingly more obvious by the minute, as Trae Young is the hottest player in the country.
On paper, Notre Dame playing at Michigan State was a matchup of a pair of top-five teams Thursday night. The product on the court, though, suggested teams on two entirely different levels.
The PK80 Invitational was all we could have hoped for, especially at the very end. Plus more tournaments end, including others with late runs by the winners, and might we see the return of a player we thought we would only see a few minutes of?
The most telling game of the day had one team pulling out another where they seemed vulnerable and it was one that got away for their opponent. Plus tournament action heats up, with a few surprises as a day off looms for many of them.
