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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
While the NCAA tournament gets all of the buzz each year, Champ Week often produces the best basketball of the postseason.
Some of the one-bid leagues have already given us buzzer-beaters and game winners in the course of sending their lone representatives to the field of 68, so now we turn to the major conferences for more drama this week.
During Champ Week, some beefs need to be settled.
Here are the five games we’d love to see this week.
When we could see it: SEC tournament championship game, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
The stakes in this game are clear. Kentucky is 7-1 in its past eight games, and a run through the SEC tournament would position the Wildcats — shaping into one of the most imposing teams in the field — to secure a top-three seed, maybe more. Tennessee is chasing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after its loss to Kentucky on Saturday. When the Wildcats fell to Tennessee in the first game between the two last month, John Calipari still had questions about his rotation.
But Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham and Antonio Reeves have emerged as the nucleus of this momentous crew. In the second meeting, Wooden Award contender and projected NBA draft lottery pick Dalton Knecht had a career-high 40 points — and the Vols still lost. The third matchup might feel like a Final Four game.
When we could see it: Big East tournament championship game, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox
While a third matchup against a healthy Marquette Golden Eagles would also be an interesting matchup for the Huskies, Danny Hurley’s squad has had its hands full with Greg McDermott’s team this season. In the first game, UConn won 62-48 but finished with its lowest scoring total in a victory this season after it connected on just 39% of its shots inside the arc. In the second, Creighton handed UConn one of the worst losses (85-66) of Hurley’s tenure.
So, is Creighton UConn’s kryptonite? Maybe. Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner are one of America’s best trios. A win over the Huskies could impact their seed on Selection Sunday. But a victory for Hurley would help the reigning national champions earn another strong finish before they attempt their repeat.
0:29
Iowa State hits ridiculous fadeaway late to hand Houston its first loss
Milan Momcilovic hits a tough jumper with two defenders on him to give Iowa State the late lead vs. Houston.
When we could see it: Big 12 tournament championship game, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Cougars have not been defeated since suffering a Feb. 3 loss at Kansas Jayhawks. Entering the season, a third game between Houston and the Jayhawks seemed like the best matchup to anticipate in the Big 12 tournament. But then the Jayhawks were crushed by the Cougars on Saturday and Bill Self’s team is not healthy. Enter Iowa State, which finished second to Houston in the Big 12 race and is one of just two league teams that split its two games against Kelvin Sampson’s team this season. On Jan. 9, Tamin Lipsey recorded 14 points as the Cyclones held Jamal Shead and Co. to a season-low 53 points in Ames.
Houston could secure the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament with a Big 12 tournament championship — if it hasn’t already locked it up — and Iowa State could guarantee a spot on the 2-line with a victory over the Cougars. But this is the most competitive title game, it seems, the league can produce.
2:13
Saint Mary’s wins wild game over Gonzaga on the road
Saint Mary’s holds on late vs. Gonzaga in a wild finish to extend its lead in the West Coast Conference.
When we could see it: WCC tournament championship game, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
After a lackluster start, Gonzaga won 24 games, Mark Few’s lowest win total since the 2002-03 season. That total includes finishing 13-1 in their last 14 games — Graham Ike has averaged 23.2 PPG over the last seven — including a win over Kentucky. The Zags had been viewed as a bubble team until that rally but are now an at-large squad in the two-bid WCC. But this matchup matters beyond the rivalry between two squads that split their conference games this year. A WCC tournament championship this season could be the difference between a favorable opening round matchup and a more challenging first game. (Also, this rivalry rarely disappoints.)
When we could see it: Mountain West tournament championship game, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, CBS
In his first season at Utah State, coach Danny Sprinkle won the Mountain West’s regular-season crown, even though he didn’t return any players from last season who had scored a point for the Aggies. He’s now a National Coach of the Year candidate and will be coveted by other programs. One of the few losses the Aggies suffered this season (77-63) happened at the hands of the Wolf Pack at home. Nevada big man Nick Davidson scored 25 points in that single meeting. Steve Alford’s squad finished the regular season enter the Mountain West tournament on a seven-game winning streak after finished the regular season tied for second place in the standings behind first-place Utah State.
A matchup between these two in the title game would be another feather in the cap for a league that could have as many bids on Selection Sunday as the Pac-12 and ACC combined.