The final day of February saw multiple Power Five teams clinch at least a share of their league’s conference title. On Friday night, Michigan defeated Illinois to clinch its first Big Ten title since 2021 in Year 2 of Dusty May’s tenure.
Less than 24 hours later, Duke, Arizona and Florida joined the party. The No. 1-ranked Blue Devils defeated No. 11 Virginia 77-51 at home to lock up the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Duke can clinch the outright ACC crown next week with a win over NC State or North Carolina.
For the third consecutive season, someone other than Kansas – the team that’s dominated the Big 12 for the better part of 20 years — will win the conference. With No. 2 Arizona’s dominant 84-61 win at home over Kansas, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title for the first time. Houston won the Big 12 regular-season title in each of its first two seasons as a member of the conference.
Duke dominates Virginia with stifling defense as No. 1 Blue Devils clinch share of ACC title in easy victory
Kyle Boone
Florida clinched its first regular season title since 2014 with a blowout win over Arkansas on Saturday night. The reigning national champions have now won nine consecutive games since losing to Auburn, which created separation at the top of the SEC standings.
The Big East title will likely be decided next week, with UConn and St. John’s still in contention to win at least a share of the regular season title. Now let’s get to the biggest winners and losers of the Saturday college basketball slate.
Winner: Isaiah Evans shines, Duke clinches ACC title
No. 1 Duke stayed hot with a 77-51 win over No. 11 Virginia behind a standout performance from Evans. The star guard scored 14 of Duke’s first 19 points and finished the day with a team-high 19 points. Evans knocked down 5 of his 9 attempts from the 3-point line and also dished out three assists in 29 minutes. Entering March, Duke has the best player in the sport (Cameron Boozer) on its roster, but this game was a reminder that the top-ranked team in the country isn’t just a one-trick-pony. — Cameron Salerno
Loser: Seton Hall’s misses its best remaining opportunity
Seton Hall entered the day among the “First Four Out” in CBS Sports Bracketology and with a golden opportunity on the road against No. 6 UConn. The Pirates looked poised to capitalize in the second half until UConn came to life for a 71-67 victory. Seton Hall (19-11, 9-9 Big East) might look back on the last eight minutes with some regret come Selection Sunday as UConn used a 23-11 closing run to pull away. It’s getting harder to envision a realistic path to an at-large bid for Seton Hall, which closes the regular season at Xavier and against St. John’s next week.
— David Cobb
Loser: Gonzaga gets shoved out of the WCC
Saint Mary’s gave No. 9 Gonzaga a firm shove out the WCC door, beating the Bulldogs 70-59 as the longtime league rivals played their final regular season conference game. With Gonzaga headed to the Pac-12 next season, one of college basketball’s great rivalries will never be the same.
Gaels guard Mikey Lewis led the way with a career-high 31 point as Saint Mary’s turned a 36-29 halftime deficit into a convincing victory. The win also secured the Gaels a share of the league title with Gonzaga, marking a fourth straight season Saint Mary’s has claimed a conference title. The teams could still play in the WCC Tournament title game, but their final on-campus meeting as WCC foes will be remembered as a decisive Saint Mary’s win. — Cobb
Loser: Arkansas no-shows in SEC showdown
Two games back in the SEC standings and chasing conference-leading Florida, No. 20 Arkansas had a prime opportunity to gain ground in the league with a road tilt in the swamp.
And summarily blew it.
The Razorbacks trailed by 19 at halftime and eventually fell 111-77 to Florida, effectively handing the Gators – who will likely be favorites in their two remaining regular-season games – the SEC crown.
Arkansas has largely strayed away from stinkers of late, but two in particular – a road blowout at Georgia in January and a home loss to Kentucky two weeks later – loom particularly large now. With those losses and the Saturday loss to Florida, John Calipari and Co. can kiss a shot at conference hardware goodbye. — Kyle Boone
Winner: Wounded Texas Tech won’t go down quietly
Texas Tech clearly did not hear any bell after JT Toppin’s season-ending knee injury. The Red Raiders walked into Hilton Coliseum and emerged with an eyebrow-raising 82-73 victory over No. 4 Iowa State. It’s the Cyclones’ first home loss of the season, and reiterates just how tough of an out these short-handed Red Raiders will be in March. Texas Tech splashed 14 treys. Donovan Atwell continued his magnificent season with six triples and 18 points. Tyeree Bryan, who was buried on the bench for long stretches of Big 12 play, revitalized his season with 10 enormous points and a couple massive treys. Jaylen Petty, Josiah Moseley and Luke Bamgboye were also outstanding in expanded roles. Texas Tech has now bulldozed Kansas State, Cincinnati and Iowa State in three games without Toppin.
The Red Raiders likely do not have the firepower to win six in a row in March Madness without its All-American big fella, but this outfit is tougher than a two-dollar steak. — Isaac Trotter
Winner: UConn’s Karaban gets a fitting sendoff
Consecutive Alex Karaban 3-pointers helped spark UConn as it rallied late for a 71-67 win over Seton Hall. That was fitting considering it was Karaban’s Senior Day and since he has made so many clutch shots over the course of his Huskies career. Senior Day doesn’t always mean what it used to in the era of mass transferring and one-year rentals. But Karaban is UConn’s all-time winningest player, and he played a pivotal role on the program’s 2023 and 2024 title teams.
The deep connection between Karaban, coach Dan Hurley and the UConn program were evident in an emotional pregame scene. But Karaban locked in and led UConn with 23 points on 8 of 11 shooting as the Huskies retained their grasp on the fourth No. 1 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology. — Cobb
Loser: Iowa suffers ugly loss vs. Penn State
On paper, Iowa’s 71-69 loss to Penn State will go down as just a Quad 2 setback. However, losing to 12-17 Penn State isn’t great for the resume. Iowa entered the weekend as a No. 7 seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hawkeyes take a hit because of the loss. Iowa was previously 7-0 in Quad 2 games, with the closest margin of victory coming against USC (73-72). — Salerno
Winner: New Mexico picks up key bubble win
Entering the weekend, New Mexico was among the “Last Four Out” in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. The importance of this win over San Diego State — a team that entered as a No. 11 seed in the latest Bracketology projections — is significant. New Mexico is now 10-6 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents this season. There is still work to do, but picking up an 81-76 win over SDSU after trailing by as many as 11 in the first half is a solid start heading into the home stretch. — Salerno
Loser: NC State’s slide continues
Year 1 of the Will Wade era at NC State has been a mixed bag. Sure, the Wolfpack are on track to return to the NCAA Tournament, but their recent stretch is cause for concern heading into March. NC State has now lost four of its last five games after a 96-90 loss in overtime against Notre Dame. During that stretch, NC State suffered losses to Louisville, Miami, Virginia, and Notre Dame, as well as a blowout win over in-state foe North Carolina. After getting off to a 9-2 start in ACC play, it looked like a double-bye in the ACC Tournament would be a lock. That’s no longer the case, especially with a matchup against No. 1 Duke looming next week. — Salerno
Winner: Clemson stops the tailspin
Clemson got a desperately needed 80-75 win over Louisville to stop a four-game losing streak that had dropped it from ACC title contention to the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Tigers (21-7, 11-5 ACC) led by as much as 15 late in the second half following an offensive explosion from Justin Porter. Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. was less than 100% healthy and mostly ineffective in just 21 minutes, which certainly aided Clemson’s cause. The Tigers needed a victory in whatever form they could find one after falling to a No. 10 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology. Next up is a Tuesday night road game at North Carolina that will give this club a chance to prove that its 20-4 start was no fluke.
— Cobb
Loser: UCLA cools off in loss at Minnesota
Just when it seemed like UCLA had steadied the ship and might even be finding its stride, the Bruins took another hit. Minnesota absolutely shredded the Bruins in a 78-73 home win, shooting 58% from the floor, which included a 12 of 23 mark from deep. It was the Gophers’ second-best shooting performance of the season. The only team which has shot it better against the Bruins this season is Michigan. UCLA entered the day as a No. 9 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology and still has a little wiggle room, but this was a reality check after momentum-building wins against Illinois and USC. — Cobb
Winner: Arizona makes a statement in win over Kansas
Less than three weeks ago, Arizona walked away from Allen Fieldhouse with its first loss of the season despite star freshman Darryn Peterson being out of the lineup. On Saturday, Arizona avenged that loss with a statement victory over No. 14 Kansas behind the stellar play of Koa Peat and Brayden Burries. With the win, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title and are in line to earn the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. — Salerno
Arizona gets revenge with win vs. Kansas, clinches at least share of the Big 12 title
Cameron Salerno
Loser: Cal takes brutal home loss
Cal entered the day as one of the “Last Four In: according to CBS Sports Bracketology and with a simple assignment: don’t lose at home to a bad Pitt team. The Bears failed the assignment, falling 72-56 in a game they never led. Cal hit just five 3-pointers, turned it over 16 teams and only attempted seven free throws. This was a horrendous showing from a bubble team that couldn’t afford a bad loss. The Bears entered at No. 43 in Wins Above Bubble (WAB), which is a vital resume metric. They will wake up on Sunday around 50th. — Cobb
Winner: A bobblehead-night game-winner
Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli drained one of his patented ‘flippers’ in the final seconds to knock off Oregon, 63-62. The Wildcats star senior delivered the game-winner on his bobblehead night.
Yeah, that’ll play. — Trotter
Loser: Tennessee collapses at end in loss to Alabama
No. 22 Tennessee led for almost the entire 40 minutes of action against No. 17 Alabama … until the final minute. With the game tied at 69, Alabama star guard Labaron Philon got the switch he wanted at the top of the key, got to the paint and hit a jumper with 24 seconds left to give his team its first lead of the night. On the other end, Tennessee didn’t get a quality look on its final possession. After leading by as many as 13 in the second half, Alabama came away with a stunning 71-69 win. — Salerno
Loser: Louisville creeps into dangerous territory
A season filled with promise crept further into the danger zone at Louisville, which on Saturday dropped its second consecutive game – and fell for a third time in its last four outings – with an 80-75 defeat at Clemson. The Cardinals and their high-octane offense made ten 3-pointers – their fourth consecutive game to hit at least ten in a game – but their defense again failed them in yet another close loss.
Clemson got 27 points from its bench unit, finished with a 17-point winning margin at the free-throw line and shot 50% from the field in the final 20 minutes of play. There’s plenty of time for this talented Louisville team to right the ship, but it appears to be trending the wrong direction as March Madness approaches. — Boone
Loser: BYU stumbles again down the stretch
On Jan. 14, BYU was ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and 16-1 on the season.
On Feb. 28, as the calendar flips to March, the Cougars – 4-8 in their last 12 games – are 20-9 and falling apart at the seams after a 79-71 road loss at West Virginia.
The Cougars haven’t been the same team we saw earlier in the season – and they’ve been a shell even of the team we saw in the heart of the season after losing Richie Saunders to an ACL injury earlier this month. In his absence, they are now 1-3 – and 8-8 in Big 12 play with two conference games remaining.
Freshman star AJ Dybantsa and sophomore guard Rob Wright were productive as ever on Saturday, finishing with 20 and 23 points, respectively. But this team’s depth has been laid bare on the back-end of Big 12 play. What once was one of the most fun offensive teams in the country is now a shorthanded team spiraling downward with no reprieve in sight. — Boone
