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.
Among the many noteworthy games, Cooper Flagg and top-ranked Duke will get their ACC tournament underway with a matchup against Georgia Tech. Surging BYU, which is looking to add to its eight-game winning streak, will meet Iowa State in a quarterfinal clash of Big 12 contenders. And two-time defending national champion UConn returns to Madison Square Garden to try to remind everybody why the Huskies are so dangerous in March.
It 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:
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8 Georgia Tech, noon | ESPN or ESPN2
No. 4 Wake Forest vs. No. 5 UNC, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN or ESPN2
Big 12
No. 4 BYU vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 12:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
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 vs. No. 9 Arkansas, 1 p.m. | SEC Network
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. 4 Xavier vs. No. 5 Marquette, 2:30 p.m. | Peacock
No. 3 UConn vs. No. 6 Villanova, 9:30 p.m. | FS1
Big Ten
No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oregon, Noon | Big Ten Network
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Northwestern, 2:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Best of the rest
Boise State vs. San Diego State, 5:30 ET | CBSS
UNLV at Utah State, 11:30 ET | CBSS
Live10 updates
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St. John’s balanced attack sinking Butler
The Red Storm have stormed out to an 18-3 lead against the Bulldogs through the opening eight minutes.
RJ Luis leads all players with 8 points, while Kadary Richmond, who recorded the program’s first triple-double since 1999 over the weekend, has 5 points.
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Duke trailing early, struggling from distance
The No. 1 seed Blue Devils trail 16-8 through the opening 8:31 of the first half.
Duke, ranked eighth nationally and tops in ACC heading into Thursday with a 38.7% success rate from 3-point range are 0-for 8 so far against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, are 3-for-5 from distance with Duncan Powell 3-for-4 and leading the way with 9 points.
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St. John’s starts Big East tournament against Butler
Over in the Big East, St. John’s leads Butler early. The winner will move on to Friday’s semifinals and play the winner of Marquette and Xavier at Madison Square Garden.
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Cooper Flagg, Duke ready to tip off vs. Georgia Tech
No.1 Duke and Georgia Tech are about to tip off in what is likely Cooper Flagg’s first and only ACC tournament. The winner of today’s game will meet Wake Forest or North Carolina in Friday night’s semifinals.
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Breaking down the race for NCAA men’s tournament No. 1 seeds
Click the photo above to read the story. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images) -
5 opponents NCAA tourney teams want to draw on Selection Sunday
Click the photo above to read the story. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) -
4 opponents NCAA tourney teams want to avoid on Selection Sunday
Click the photo above to read the story. (Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) -
Before the action starts, here’s some light reading material ahead of Selection Sunday.
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Good morning folks and welcome to our live tracker for Thursday’s conference tournament action!
Cooper Flagg and Duke get their ACC tourney underway against No. 8 seed Georgia Tech to start this early window. Tip-off is in just over 20 minutes.
