This year’s champ week was one for the ages. From buzzer-beaters to great performances to the headline of the week — bid stealers — this week had everything. An incredibly surprising number of bid stealers (five) dominated the week and provided madness we usually get next week in the NCAA Tournament. These five teams: NC State, Oregon, New Mexico, Duquesne and UAB will all be playing in said tournament because of what they accomplished this week. All these teams provided great moments from what ended up being an eventful and memorable champ week, so let’s dive into what made this week so great.
No. 10 NC State wins five games in five days to win ACC title
To start off, we’ve got what was probably the most surprising bid stealer: NC State. The Wolfpack won five games in five days, including knocking off Duke and UNC, to win the ACC crown. It started off its run by beating 15 seed Louisville 94-85 in a game that would not point toward a future title run, but a win was a win. Next, they beat seven-seeded Syracuse handily 83-65. This was the first truly great performance as they built momentum for their matchup against Duke. An upset it was, as the Wolfpack stunned the two seed 74-69. Next, they’d face three seed Virginia in the semifinal. This game was very back-and-forth, with Virginia seemingly having the game in hand late. Michael O’Connell, though, hit a buzzer-beating heave of a 3-pointer to tie the game and sent the game to overtime. In OT, NCSU didn’t look back, as they beat the Cavaliers 73-65. This set up a date with UNC in the ACC final, a major rivalry game and one to make the NCAA Tournament. They’d win this one, again in surprising fashion, 84-76. This run was orchestrated by D.J. Burns, who took home ACC Tournament MVP as well as earning the fandom of fans across the country along the way. Other great performers were D.J. Horne and O’Connell, both of whom provided great performances during the run. This was certainly a run for the ages and one the Wolfpack hope will continue in the big dance.
No. 4 Oregon gets hot at the right time and wins the Pac-12 autobid
Another bid stealer, Oregon, may have been a bit less surprising, but still a shock to some. Their run was different from NC State’s because they needed only three wins to do it, but it was still an impressive bid steal nonetheless. They won their first game, the quarterfinal, over five seed UCLA, a team some thought could be a bid stealer themselves, 75-68. Next game they would face the one seed and favorite of the tournament, Arizona. The Ducks got down by 14 early, but came back and pulled off the upset 67-59. Next, they’d face the three-seeded Colorado Buffaloes, who were also fighting for a tournament spot. Similarly to the Arizona game, the Ducks got down in the first half, but bounced back in the second half to win 75-68. This sealed their NCAA Tournament bid, while also securing a Pac-12 title. N’Faly Dante was the MVP of the tournament with his impressive performance to win the title against Colorado.
No. 2 Illinois uses explosive offense to win the Big Ten Tournament
Illinois may have not been a bid stealer, but their tournament run was just as impressive as any. They started off by beating 10 seed Ohio State in a close game 77-74. This one started off rough for the Illini, but their finish was a sign of things to come. In the semifinal they faced Nebraska and again were down early. Again, they came back and won this one 77-74. This set up the championship game versus Wisconsin in a surprise final game. This one was a great, back-and-forth and was dominated by the great performances by A.J. Storr and Terrence Shannon Jr. It ended with Illinois winning 93-87. This gave it the Big Ten title and most likely improved their seed for the Tournament. Terrence Shannon Jr. was named MVP with stellar performances in all three games, scoring over 30 points in all three of them. This type of performance is the type he hopes to have moving forward as the Illini try to replicate this one and make it to the Final Four.
No. 1 UConn dominant in Big East championship run
UConn was an easy pick to win the Big East crown and they came through, winning the whole thing seemingly convincingly. First, they beat eight seed Xavier 87-60 in a game that was close early, but ended up being a UConn blowout. Next, in the semis, they faced five seed St. John’s and beat them fairly handily, but not in dominant fashion, 95-90. Finally, in the championship game against three seed Marquette they shined in the second half, eventually winning easily 73-57. This was a game that felt a lot like the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament run last year, and one that should make a lot of people believe they can win back-to-back national championships. While it hasn’t been done since 2007 Florida, the Huskies seemed primed and ready to make another deep run with Big East Tournament MVP Donovan Clingan leading the way.
No. 2 Iowa State used blowout over No. 1 Houston to win Big 12 title
The other tournament favorite, Houston, was not as fortunate as UConn in their hopes to win their conference title were dashed in dominating fashion by Iowa State in the championship game. The second-seeded Cyclones’ run started against 10 seed Kansas State in the quarterfinals, whom they beat 76-57. Next, it beat a tough Baylor squad 76-62 in another dominant win. Then, like mentioned before, they dominated No. 1 Houston 69-41. This was the second time ISU has beaten the Cougars and this one was even more convincing than the last. Keshon Gilbert was named MVP of the tournament with great performances throughout, but fellow stars Tamin Lipsey and Milam Momcilovic also having great games along the way. All this should make Iowa State a very popular pick in brackets, and rightfully so, because this run was utterly dominant from start to finish in the consensus best league in the country.
No. 4 Auburn wins upset-riden SEC Tournament
In an SEC Tournament where the top three seeds all lost in the quarterfinals, fourth-seeded Auburn rose above the competition en route to a decisive tournament championship. In the quarter the Tigers beat South Carolina easily 86-55. This was the second time that AU has dominated USC and it was to the surprise of many experts. Next, it beat underdog nine seed Mississippi State in a close one 73-66. This moved Auburn on to the final where they would meet six-seeded Florida. In this one they rolled again, winning 86-67. Johni Broom was sensational in this game, with Chad Baker-Mazara also having a stellar tournament as well. This makes the Tigers extremely deadly heading into the tournament, hoping to make a run, Bruce Pearl has already made a Final Four once, so this SEC Tournament title gives hope he can do it again.
No. 6 New Mexico wins the Mountain West and steals a bid
In a league that was entertaining the whole season, it’s not all that surprising that a bid stealer won the conference tournament. This was the case in the Mountain West, as during the selection show it was announced that New Mexico would not have been selected as an at-large if they did not win four straight to win the Mountain West. This run started in the first round, as they easily beat 11 seed Air Force 82-56. This avenged a previous loss to the Falcons and sent them to play three seed Boise State, whom they beat 76-66 in an upset. This advanced them to the semifinal where the Lobos faced seven-seeded Colorado State, and beat the Rams 74-61. This set up a final game against five seed San Diego State, last year’s tournament champs and the national runner-up. New Mexico won a back-and-forth game 68-61 and clinched the Mountain West Tournament championship. More importantly, this locked up a NCAA Tournament bid, the sixth bid for the Mountain West. Jaelen House shined and won MVP of the tournament, becoming a popular pick for a NCAA Tournament favorite. The Loos, though, as a team are hot and ready to make a deep run.
No. 4 UAB from the American and No. 6 Duquesne from the Atlantic 10 both steal bids
Another bid stealer came from the American, where UAB became the champion and clinched a bid to the big dance. Its run started off by beating 12 seed Wichita State 72-60, then by beating one seed USF 93-83. This booked the Blazers a spot in the championship against surprise team, No. 11 seed Temple. This one was a decisive victory for UAB, winning 85-69. This gave them the AAC title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Some may pick UAB to win a game and for good reason, as it looked like a serious upset contender during their run in the underrated AAC conference.
Duquesne was another bid stealer, the Dukes winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Duquesne started off its run by beating 14 seed St. Louis 83-73 and then came their hardest test, three seed and favorite, Dayton. They completed the upset by beating the Flyers 65-57 with great defense. This brought the Dukes to the semifinal, where they faced seven seed St. Bonaventure, whom they beat 70-60. This clinched a spot in the title game, a game they’d win against five seed VCU 57-51. The Dukes’ defense really shined in this one, as did Dae Dae Grant, who took home tournament MVP. This run results in a NCAA Tournament appearance, Duquesne’s first since 1977, and one they hope to make some noise in.
Other Mid-Major conference tournament champions from this week
America East: Vermont
Big Sky: Montana
Big West: Long Beach State
Colonial: Charleston
Conference USA: Western Kentucky
Horizon: Oakland
Ivy: Yale
MAAC: St. Peter’s
MAC: Akron
MEAC: Howard
Missouri Valley: Drake
Northeast: Wagner
Patriot: Colgate
Southern: Samford
Southland: McNeese
SWAC: Grambling
Summit: South Dakota State
Sun Belt: James Madison
West Coast: St. Mary’s
WAC: Grand Canyon
