With Selection Sunday just days away, the Madness is nearly upon us. Men’s college basketball conference tournaments are now in full swing and most of the nation’s top teams will be in action on Thursday.
The day started with a scary moment in Duke’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech. Projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle and needed to be helped off the court just before halftime. The Blue Devils held on for a nervy win, but coach Jon Scheyer was noncommittal on Flagg’s status moving forward.
Later on Thursday, two-time defending national champion UConn returns to Madison Square Garden to try to remind everybody why the Huskies are so dangerous in March.
This week may just be a prelude to the Big Dance, but there’s a crush of worthwhile action to tune in for in the power conferences and beyond. (Scroll for live updates.)
Thursday’s best games:ACC
No. 1 Duke 78, No. 8 Georgia Tech 70
No. 5 UNC 68, No. 4 Wake Forest 59
Big 12
No. 4 BYU 96, No. 5 Iowa State 92
No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 Baylor, 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 6 Kansas, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
SEC
No. 8 Ole Miss 83, No. 9 Arkansas 80
No. 5 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Texas, 3:30 p.m. | SEC Network
No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oklahoma, 9:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Big East
No. 5 Marquette 89, No. 4 Xavier 87
No. 3 UConn vs. No. 6 Villanova, 9:30 p.m. | FS1
Big Ten
No. 8 Oregon 72, No. 9 Indiana 59
No. 5 Wisconsin 70, No. 13 Northwestern 63
Best of the rest
Boise State vs. San Diego State, 5:30 p.m. ET | CBSS
UNLV at Utah State, 11:30 p.m. ET | CBSS
Live40 updates
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM PDT
Overtime in Texas vs. Texas A&M!
Texas holds for the last possession but can’t get a jumper to go.
We’ve got 5 more minutes to go in this SEC 2nd round matchup.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 3:13 PM PDT
Tie game in final seconds
Back-and-forth we go in the final minutes of Texas-Texas A&M.
The Longhorns took the lead on this and-1, but the Aggies responded with a layup at the other end.
73-all with under 30 seconds.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM PDT
All eyes on Texas-Texas A&M
At the under-4 timeout, Texas leads Texas A&M 67-66.
The last 2:53 of this game is going to be fun 👀
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:41 PM PDT
Another name emerges in Indiana coaching search
Could Ben McCollum be one-and-done at Drake? He’s reportedly in the running to take over for Indiana next season.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:17 PM PDT
Texas fighting for its tourney life
The Longhorns likely need a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. Texas A&M would love to knock its rival out of the field. High stakes SEC tournament action getting tense.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM PDT
Final: UNC 68, Wake Forest 59
North Carolina is also a bubble team, but it helped its case massively with a win here combined with Xavier’s loss earlier. Next up for the Tar Heels? A date with No. 1 Duke in the ACC semifinals tomorrow.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:59 PM PDT
UNC feeling good
The Tar Heels are in good shape late in their ACC quarterfinal matchup with Wake Forest, thanks to a big game from RJ Davis.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:57 PM PDT
Meaningless buzzer-beater results in painful bad beat
If you had Marquette to cover the 2.5-point spread, we’re sorry 😢
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:43 PM PDT
Final: Marquette 89, Xavier 87
Marquette holds off Xavier in the Big East quarterfinals. It’s a costly loss for Xavier, which is squarely on the bubble. Did the Musketeers just cost themselves an NCAA tourney trip?
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM PDT
Marquette-Xavier setting up for wild finish
It’s been close the whole way through. Marquette has the upper hand going into the under-4 timeout.
Xavier is a bubble team that desperately needs a win here. Buckle up.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:05 PM PDT
From DEEP to beat the halftime buzzer
New Mexico’s Donovan Dent banked it in from 30 feet at the first-half buzzer in Mountain West tourney action vs. San Jose State.
No. 1 seed Lobos lead 32-23 at the break.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:35 PM PDT
Coach Cal, Arkansas ousted from SEC tourney
The Hogs fought valiantly to get back into their second-round game against the Rebels, but they ultimately came up short after two missed free throws in the waning seconds and then the 3-pointer by Pedulla.
Coach Cal’s team will have a nervous few days as the Hogs are firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:30 PM PDT
Ole Miss buzzer-beater buries Arkansas!
The Rebels got a rebound on a missed free throw with 7.9 seconds left in a tie game and guard Sean Pedulla drilled the game-winning 3:
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:51 AM PDT
Cooper Flagg injury update
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said Flagg suffered an ankle sprain and that X-rays were negative. He did not say when Flagg would play again, only that they will determine his status going forward after they see how bad the swelling gets in his foot.
More on Flagg’s injury right here
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:43 AM PDT
Final: BYU 96, Iowa State 92
The Cougars’ torrid run continues. That’s their ninth consecutive win and advances them to the Big 12 semifinals, where they’ll play the winner of Colorado vs. Houston.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:32 AM PDT
BYU-Iowa State heating up
Meanwhile, we have a shootout between Iowa State and BYU. The Cyclones are projected to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament while the Cougars are likely looking at a No. 5 seed.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:28 AM PDT
Rick Pitino, St. John’s nab easy win
The Red Storm are as hot as any team in the country as we near March Madness. They’ve only lost one game in 2025 and rolled right through Butler in their Big East tournament opener.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:21 AM PDT
Duke’s narrow win costs bettors
Per John Ewing of BetMGM, Duke was the most-bet team on Thursday as a 23.5-point favorite. The Blue Devils won by eight after Cooper Flagg’s first-half injury.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:09 AM PDT
Final: Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70
The Blue Devils got more than they bargained for in their ACC tournament opener, but they survived and will face the winner of Wake Forest-North Carolina on Friday.
The bigger question is the severity of Cooper Flagg’s ankle injury and how long he’ll be out.
