The first Sunday in March delivered the goods for college basketball and showcased what the sport is all about that month.
Early in the afternoon, Houston’s Jamal Shead kept the Cougars at the top of the country with a game-winning buzzer-beater for an away win over Memphis. Kelvin Sampson’s 29-2 team practically secured first place in the NCAA tournament.
Moments later, as Penn State fought for its NCAA tournament life, he rallied from 16 down to shock Maryland on the horn of a Camren Wynter game-winner.
While some finished the regular season, opening tickets to the big dance continued to be punched, with a few conference tournament champions reflecting the beauty of madness.
Kennesaw State joined the NCAA Division I in 2009. Three years ago, the Owls won just one game all season, the first under head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. On Sunday afternoon, Abdur-Rahim cut the nets at the KSU Convocation Center as the Owls completed a 67-66 win over Liberty, clinched the ASUN tournament title and booked the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament.
[NCAA Tournament bid trackers: Men | Women]
In the meantime, in Charlotte, UNC Asheville was 14 minutes behind Campbell with just over seven minutes on the clock in the Big South Championship Game. Four years ago, the Bulldogs were a 4-27 team, so Mike Morrell’s program has often been stuck in a hole. They were rewarded on Sunday when 6-foot-10 senior Drew Pember accumulated 29 points and propelled UNC Asheville to a stunning 77-73 win. The Bulldogs go dancing for the first time since 2016.
Five of the 32 automatic bid points have been completed, with FDU (NEC), Drake (MVC) and Southeast Missouri State (OVC) joining the Owls and Bulldogs.
It really is the best time of the year! With that, our coverage begins in the days leading up to Selection Sunday with fresh top 15.
1 Houston (29-2)
The Cougars were five points down with just over six minutes on the clock in a hostile street atmosphere, but Shead, Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser went back together on a 10-0 run to regain control and Kelvin Sampson’s team held win firmly on 11th place in a row.
2. Kansas (25-6)
The Jayhawks’ seven-game winning streak was halted on Saturday at Longhorns Senior Day in Austin, Texas. We will not blame Bill Self’s team for this loss. One indicator of Kansas’ success is the production of Dajuan Harris Jr. He was held to just five points by the Longhorns. If he scores at least six points, Kansas is 19-0.
3. UCLA (27-4)
The Bruins should be considered by the selection committee with a 1 seed after winning 10 straight games. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led by 22 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s top-10 win over Arizona.
4. Purdue (26-5)
The Boilermakers responded to the loss to Indiana with an away win against a desperate Wisconsin side, followed by a 76-71 victory over Illinois on Sunday. Matt Painter has spoken about Purdue’s offense being balanced and having different scoring sources than Zach Edey. In the win over the Illini, Brandon Newman had a season-high 19 points and Braden Smith had 15.
5. Marquette (25-6)
The Big East regular-season champions enter the conference tournament after winning six straight games behind the league’s best player this season, Tyler Kolek (246 assists in just 76 turnovers). Marquette plays the winner of St. John’s/Butler in the Big East Quarterfinals on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports App.
6. Alabama (26-5)
After winning three straight games by five points or fewer and struggling on defense, the Crimson Tide stumbled 67-61 against Texas A&M on Saturday. One problem to keep in mind with Alabama: The tide can get too attached to the perimeter. In the loss to the Aggies, Nate Oats’ team shot 7-for-36 from downtown.
7.Texas (23-8)
The Longhorns ended Kansas’ winning streak with an impressive 75-59 win on Saturday, taking 20 points off the bench from Tyrese Hunter and 23 from Sir’Jabari Rice. Rice has averaged 17.2 points per game over the last 11 and has emerged as a key weapon.
8th. UConn (24-7)
The Huskies are red hot, having won five in a row and eight of their last nine. They’re looking like a dark horse to reach Houston this April, although it shouldn’t be that surprising considering they started the season 14-0. Jordan Hawkins’ 24 points propelled Connecticut past Villanova 71-59 on Saturday night at FOX Primetime Hoops.
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Jordan Hawkins led the Huskies to a 71-59 win over Villanova on Saturday night.
9 Arizona (25-6)
The Wildcats remain in the top 10 despite losing to a national title contender at UCLA. Tommy Lloyd’s team has elite bigs in Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, but guard play can be inconsistent. In the last four games, Courtney Ramey has shot 15 to 43 off the floor.
10 gonzaga (26-5)
Maybe we were too hard on the Zags earlier in the season? Possibly! Mark Few’s team has seven straight wins in advancing to the WCC semifinals, and Drew Timme has averaged 23 PPG in his last four competitions.
11. Baylor (22-9)
The Bears put up a clunker on Saturday, but perhaps it could prove to be a proper reality check ahead of the Big 12 tournament. The topic? The opponent is the same for their inaugural tournament on Thursday: Iowa State! I predict the Bears will retaliate despite two 15-point losses to the Cyclones this season.
12. Miami (24-6)
The Hurricanes, the top seeds in the ACC tournament, defeated Pitt on Saturday, despite Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack shooting from the floor together 5-on-21. That’s because Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier are just as solid, averaging 33 points and 21 rebounds combined to win while Wooga Poplar was heating up with six three-pointers from long range. This is a team that I firmly believe can make the Elite Eight again.
13. xavier (23-8)
Sean Miller urged the Musketeers to react to a one-point loss and change the script of previous seasons to enter the Big East tournament. Behind Colby Jones, Xavier did just that. The junior averaged 49 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists in two wins last week. The Musketeers take on winner Seton Hall/DePaul in the Big East Quarterfinals Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.
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Xavier outscored Butler behind 20 points from Colby Jones.
14 State of Kansas (23-8)
Despite an eight-point loss to West Virginia on Saturday, the Wildcats are still in the Big 12 tournament after winning four of their last five games. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson are a nightmare, scoring 48 points combined against the Mountaineers. K-State receives TCU Thursday night in Kansas City.
15 duke (23-8)
Yes, the Blue Devils top my power rankings! Jon Scheyer’s team has won six games in a row and they have the talent to beat anyone on their best day because of their defense and because the rookies have grown tremendously. Against a North Carolina team fighting for their lives on Saturday, Kyle Filipowski scored 22 points and 13 rebounds in a brave 62-57 win at Chapel Hill. Duke may not be a great perimeter shooting team. You may still have a few things to figure out. But this team is playing their best at the right time, and Scheyer deserves recognition in Year 1.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of roles, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to commentating on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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