NCAA top moments: College basketball champs crowned
As Selection Sunday inches closer, several conferences punched their automatic bids with their championship games on Saturday.
No. 6 Kansas outlasted No. 14 Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, Creighton fell to No. 8 Villanova in the Big East tournament championship and Virginia Tech stunned No. 7 Duke by double digits for the ACC crown.
Closing things out on FOX, No. 2 Arizona topped No. 13 UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game.
Here are the top moments from Saturday's action:
Arizona jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead over UCLA right out of the gate.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas:
The Wildcats continued to dominate inside, making one big play after the next to keep things competitive.
UCLA's Johnny Juzang nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a five-point game at the break.
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Juzang gave the UCLA Bruins a huge swing in momentum going into halftime.
Arizona went on a 15-2 run to take the lead early in the second half and get momentum on its side.
Dalen Terry was the star of Arizona's show late in the game, helping lead the Wildcats to an 84-76 victory.
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Terry nails a beautiful one-handed slam to extend the Arizona Wildcats' lead over the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12 championship.
Virginia Tech didn't waste any time getting on the board, going back and forth with the Blue Devils early.
Both teams were locked in from the start, going back and forth and keeping each other within arm's reach.
Hokies guard Hunter Cattoor was on fire, putting up 17 first-half points — including 12 points from distance.
At the break, Virginia Tech led 42-39.
Virginia Tech continued to impress in the second half, as Cattoor kept his perfect 3-point streak alive.
The Hokies extended their lead to double digits late in the frame and never lost it. In the end, Virginia Tech ran away with the win, 82-67.
Texas Tech got off to a hot start in Kansas City, thanks to this 3-pointer from Terrence Shannon.
It was a battle early between these teams, but Kansas managed to keep the edge for most of the first half.
Texas Tech's Marcus Santos-Silva came up with the first dunk of the game with some help from Adonis Arms.
It was a one-point game at the break, 37-36, as Kansas held onto the lead.
The Jayhawks kept their momentum going strong in the second half, adding a little razzle-dazzle on this play:
The Red Raiders clawed their way into the lead midway through the second half, keeping things close.
Kansas found a late spark and took a double-digit lead with 1:05 to play, and Texas Tech wasn't able to recover.
After a tough battle, the Jayhawks came out on top, 74-65, to earn the automatic bid.
Villanova jumped out to an early 7-0 lead over Creighton, thanks to the sharpshooting of Justin Moore.
The Bluejays picked up some steam in the first half, pulling within one point heading into halftime at 19-18.
Alex O'Connell sunk a 3-point jumper to open Creighton's second-half scoring and knot things up at 21.
A pair of 3-pointers from Moore helped Nova build a 33-25 lead early in the second half.
Trey Alexander provided a much-needed spark for the Bluejays, who went on a 7-0 run late in the frame to tie things up at 36.
Back-to-back 3s from Collin Gillespie put Villanova up 50-45 with 1:58 to play, and the rest was history.
For the fourth time in the last five Big East tournaments, the Wildcats add to their trophy case.
THE BEST OF THE REST:
No. 24 Iowa narrowly topped Indiana, 80-77, in Saturday's semifinal game in Indianapolis. Jordan Bohannon banked the game-winner to take the Hawkeyes to Sunday's Big Ten tournament final (3:30 p.m. ET).
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Bohannon hit a 3-pointer to take the Iowa Hawkeyes past Indiana.
The Hawkeyes will take on No. 9 Purdue in the upcoming title game. The Boilermakers advanced after topping Michigan State in a thriller in Indianapolis on Saturday, 75-70.
Mountain West tournament final
Boise State narrowly edged past San Diego State, 53-52, to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M stunned No. 15 Arkansas by defeating the Razorbacks 82-64 in the semifinals to advance to Sunday's title game. It is the second straight day that the Aggies took down a ranked opponent after besting No. 4 Auburn on Friday, 67-62.
Vermont dominated UMBC, 82-43, garnering the Catamounts an automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The America East is a one-bid league, so Vermont is the only team in the conference to advance.
Norfolk State advances to the big stage after crushing Coppin State, 72-57, in the MEAC title game. Conference Player of the Year Joe Bryant led the Spartans with 23 points on their way to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Saint Peter’s came out on top against Monmouth, 60-54, in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title game.
Texas Southern dominated Alcorn State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game, 87-62.
Akron topped Kent State in the Mid-American Conference title game, dominating the Golden Flashes, 75-55.
The Big Sky gave their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament to Montana State after the Bobcats defeated Northern Colorado by double digits, 87-66.
Conference USA tournament final
UAB escaped Louisiana Tech, 82-73, in Frisco, Texas for an automatic bid into the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
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Lovan forces the turnover and throws down a monster one-handed jam to extend the Blazers' lead over Louisiana Tech.
Texas A&M-CC emerged victorious over Southeastern Louisiana, 73-65, to claim the Southland title.
Clayton Henry, who averaged just 4.7 PPG this season, scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead New Mexico State to a 66-52 victory over Abilene Christian to clinch the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. Henry drilled three of his seven 3-point attempts for the Aggies, who finished the regular season 26-6.
Cal State Fullerton rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Long Beach State 72-71 and earn the Big West's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. E.J. Anosike made all six of his field-goal attempts for 22 points, and also grabbed eight rebounds to lead the victory for the 2-seed Titans.