NCAA Conference Championships

March 8, 2021

The GIST: After a thrilling championship Sunday, a handful of teams punched their ticket to the Big Dancehttps://thegist.cmail20.com/t/t-l-mjipn-wtjhjikhl-m/. And with more conference championshipshttps://thegist.cmail20.com/t/t-l-mjipn-wtjhjikhl-c/ on deck for this week, things are just getting started. Groovy.

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Source: ACC Women's Basketball/Twitter

🏆Who’s in: We are in desperate need of a manicure after this weekend’s nailbiter action. No. 3 NC State downed No. 5 Louisville 58–56 to claim their second-straight ACC championship title. Meanwhile, over on the West Coast, No. 4 Stanford won the Pac-12 championship with a 75–55 victory over No. 9 UCLA.

And the SEC gave us some herstory along with thrilling play. Coaches Dawn Staley and Joni Taylor squared off, marking the first time two Black female head coaches met in a Power Five conference tournament final. The perfect gift for IWD Eve.

Staley’s No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks proved victorious, defeating No. 16 Georgia 67–62, earning their sixth SEC title in seven years. Light work.

💪Who’s up next: The Big East crown will be handed out tonight at a can’t-miss matchup between No. 1 UConn and Marquette. Considering UConn more than doubled (!!!) their opponent’s score in the semis, we’d say the Huskies are favorites to claim the Big East title (19th for them). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

Off the court, Charli Collier — the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft — officially declared for the draft yesterday. First things first, Collier and the Longhorns begin their postseason run when the Big 12 tourney starts later this week.

🏀Men’s basketball (MBB): Many of the men’s conference tournaments begin this week, so we’ll have more MBB news for you on Thursday. For now, enjoy this game-winning buzzer beater from Sunday. Bring on the madness.