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Sunday’s college basketball slate featured a bit of everything as the regular season wrapped up, mid-major conference tournaments continued, and major conference tournament media solidified. With buzzers, emotional moments for seniors, and controversy in the action, it was a reminder that March is upon us.
Only one game featured two ranked teams, but it worked well when the Iowa No.5 defeated Wisconsin No.25 77-73 in the regular season finale for both. Although the referees stole some of the show – there were 24 fouls called in the second half – one performance stood out from the rest.
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That performance belonged to National Player of the Year, Luka Garza, who finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds in his last game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This effort helped Iowa (20-7, 14-6 Big Ten) solidify its place as the projected No.2 seed in the NCAA tournament in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology entering the Big Ten tournament.
It also made what happened after the game all the more relevant. More on that in a second as we begin to dissect the winners and losers of an important day in college hoops
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The Hawkeyes announced on Sunday they would retire Garza’s No.55 in a fitting tribute to Iowa’s top scorer and all-time leading scorer. The post-game ceremony was a reminder of the beauty of college basketball. There is some skepticism about how Garza’s game will translate into the NBA. But where he becomes an All-Star or struggles to stay on a pro roster, he’ll always be a legend in Iowa, and no one will ever wear his uniform again.
Garza wasn’t the only player on an elite squad to enjoy a historic moment of the senior day on Sunday. Baylor goalie MaCio Teague set a Big 12 record with 10 3-pointers as he led No.3 Bears to an 88-73 win over No.18 Texas Tech in his final game. at the Ferrell Center. Teague finished with 35 points, including 26 in the second half as he propelled the Bears – a No.1 seed slated for the NCAA tournament – into the playoffs.
Loser: Memphis hopes dashed
Memphis entered Sunday’s game 9th overall from Houston in the NCAA tournament bubble, according to Palm, but needed a win over the Cougars to bolster their hopes of an off-bid. The Tigers had their dancing dreams ripped off brutally when Houston’s Tramon Mark conceded a contested 3-point buzzer to take the Cougars to a 67-64 victory. The result likely means Memphis will have to win the AAC tournament to do the Big Dance.
Winner: Loyola Chicago wins Arch Madness
The Ramblers return to the NCAA tournament as a Missouri Valley Conference automatic qualifier after knocking out Drake 75-65 in the MVC tournament title game. Cameron Krutwig and Braden Norris led Loyola Chicago with 20 points each. If Krutwig’s name sounds familiar to you, it should. He was a key contributor to the 2018 Final Four squad as a rookie, and that squad looks quite capable of advancing in the NCAA tournament once again. Palm had screened the Ramblers as the No.12 seed on the day. Potential seeds n ° 5 interested in facing it? I do not think so.
Winner: Winthrop wins Big South
Speaking of midsize teams with the chops to wreak havoc in the NCAA tournament, what about Winthrop? The Eagles will enter the event 23-1 after beating Campbell 80-53 in the Big South Tournament title game. With a roster of several veterans, a rotation of 11 deep, and a coach to Pat Kelsey who was once in Big Dance, this team could be dangerous. The Eagles were a Palm-projected No.13 seed at the start of the day, but they’re another team no one will want to play.
Winner: Tennessee finishes strong
Volunteers haven’t won back-to-back games since February 6 and February 10, but they haven’t lost back-to-back games in that span either. Their alternation of winning and losing continued on Sunday as they clinched a 65-54 victory over Florida in a No. 6 projected seed battle. The Volunteers (17-7, 10-7 SEC) trailed by 14 in the first half but played a stifling defense in the second half to give seniors Yves Pons and John Fulkerson a nice start at the end of a regular season of ups and downs. Winning was especially important for the Vols, as it earned them a double bye in the SEC tournament.
Winner: Oregon Wins Pac-12 Title
How about a tip of the cape in Oregon? The Ducks needed a win over Oregon State on Sunday night to repeat as the Pac-12 regular season champions and they earned an 8-67 win to lock in the No. 1 of the Pac-12 tournament. All five starters reached double for Oregon (19-5, 14-4 Pac-12)
Loser: Injuries take center stage on final day of regular season
There is no word yet on the severity of either injury, but the Michigan No.2 and Iowa No.5 have each seen key players sustain injuries. Joe Wieskamp of Iowa, the team’s second-leading scorer behind Garza, left the Hawkeyes’ first-half victory over Wisconsin and did not return after sustaining an ankle injury. The same happened to Michigan senior guard Eli Brooks, who was spotted in a boot after leaving the Wolverines defeat at Michigan State after an early ankle injury.
Winner: Michigan State NCAA Tournament Odds
Without Brooks, Michigan struggled to replicate its 69-50 victory over Michigan State on Thursday. The Spartans won Sunday’s rematch 70-64, securing a critical victory for their resumption of the NCAA tournament. Michigan State was a scheduled No.11 seed for the day, but should be able to take a deep breath before starting the Big Ten tournament against Maryland on Thursday.
Loser: CAA Tournament Officials
As the No. 1 seed of the CAA tournament, James Madison made it to Sunday’s league tournament quarterfinal, screened as the No. 16 seed in the NCAA tournament by Palm. The Dukes’ position in Bracketology was based on their victory at the CAA tournament, and it turns out the league’s automatic bid will go to someone else.
That’s because JMU suffered a 72-71 at No. 8 Elon in a controversial fashion as the Dukes were called out for two costly technical fouls. The first came when Zach Jacobs committed the sporting atrocity of the century by shouting “and one” after shooting a foul on a first half bucket. JMU overcame this dose of authoritarianism from the referees to open up a 15-point lead at the start of the second half. But then JMU coach Mark Byington was called in for a technique with 1:13 to go. This sent Elon to the free throw line, where he took a late lead.
Winner: Penn State ends furious rally
Maryland might as well be called a “loser” here, but let’s pay tribute to the Nittany Lions for overcoming a 16-point road deficit and beating the Terrapins 66-61. In particular, Seth Lundy deserves some adulation for filling him with 31 points off the bench on 11 of 18 shots. It must be a career high for a sophomore averaging 9.4 points per game, no? Wrong. Lundy scored 32 in a win over VCU earlier this season. After coach Pat Chambers resigned ahead of the season, this has been a tough year for the Nittany Lions (10-13, 7-12 Big Ten), but Sunday’s victory will be memorable.
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