Boy, that escalated quickly

The GIST: If the regular-season finale were a movie, it would have won an Oscar for Best Drama last night. Several Sunday upsets shook things up as teams made their last postseason pushes before conference tournaments tip off this week.

No. 4 USC’s JuJu Watkins shines in Battle for LA: The sophomore phenom had a weekend for the ages. Not only did she drop 30 on crosstown rival No. 2 UCLA on Saturday to complete the season sweep, but the 80–67 win clinched the Big Ten regular-season title for the Trojans in their first season in the conference. They came, they saw, they conquered.

• This is notably USC’s first title since the Lisa Leslie era in 1994. Watkins made waves when she committed to the Trojans, whose glory days were long behind them — but in two short years, the sophomore has brought them back into the national conversation. A true game-changer.

• Speaking of, Watkins also outshone UCLA’s Lauren Betts, whose double-double wasn’t enough to avenge the Bruins’ February 13th loss at USC. The showing placed Watkins way ahead of Betts — and everyone else — in the Player of the Year race. She may not wear hats, but she does lift trophies.

SEC and ACC titles split: The SEC saw its fair share of turbulence yesterday, but ultimately, the big dogs still came out on top: No. 1 Texas and reigning national champ No. 6 South Carolina tied for the regular-season crown. These teams also split wins in their two matchups this season, so seeding for this week’s tournament came down to the world’s most awkward coin toss, which SC won.

• Elsewhere, the ACC was No. 3 Notre Dame’s to lose…and they almost did, halting their two-game skid with yesterday’s 72–59 win over No. 25 Louisville to salvage a shared ’ship with No. 9 NC State.

No. 10 TCU seals Big 12 in winner-take-all showdown: The Horned Frogs won a wire-to-wire defensive battle with No. 17 Baylor 51–48 last night to snag the No. 1 seed, largely thanks to a monster performance from center Sedona Prince, who continues to start for TCU despite domestic and sexual abuse allegations. Sigh.

The GIST: The gals weren’t the only ones causing regular-season rumbles this weekend — several men’s teams also clinched their conference championships with Saturday wins, while others still hang in the balance.

• Here’s which Power 5 teams are chilling for the last week of the regular season, and which ones still have “lock down prime conference tournament seeding” on their to-do list.

Who’s clinched: St. John’s raised some eyebrows when they hired the ever-controversial Rick Pitino to be their new head coach in 2023, but the turnaround is going strong: The No. 7 Red Storm have won their first outright Big East championship in 40 years, also completing their first undefeated season at home since 1931–32.

• The typically tight Big 12 also resolved early, as No. 4 Houston locked up their second straight title with their 73–64 win over Cincinnati. No surprise that the nation’s best defense does, in fact, win championships.

• And in the SEC, No. 1 Auburn emerged from a chaotic, Anchorman-style melee to take the title in the nation’s rowdiest conference. The Tigers did it by beating blue blood No. 17 Kentucky on the road for the first time since 1988, and it wasn’t even close.

Who’s still hunting: Even though No. 2 Duke is having a phenomenal year while the ACC is having a rough one, the Blue Devils boast just a one-game lead over No. 13 Clemson and No. 19 Louisville, with two games remaining on each team’s schedule. Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg is reportedly limping toward the postseason, so this race could get wild quickly.

• And the fight for the Big Ten is the spiciest around: No. 15 Michigan’s 93–73 disaster against Illinois yesterday put them one game back from heated intrastate rival No. 8 Michigan State. Both squads have two to play…including their showdown this Sunday. No pressure.

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