After a bumpy patch in mid-February, Illinois finished the regular season with three straight convincing victories entering this week’s Big Ten Tournament.
Lauren Betts scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half Sunday and No. 4 UCLA rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat No. 2 USC to win the Big Ten Tournament title.
Drake will be making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth in the past five years after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship for the first time since 2019.
The conference tournament win secured Duke’s first ACC title in a dozen years and their first under coach Kara Lawson.
No. 8 Michigan State won the Big Ten’s first basketball title with 18 teams by three games over No. 17 Michigan and No. 13 Maryland.
The Big Ten’s top two regular-season teams and Los Angeles rivals will meet in a winner-takes-all contest Sunday in what could be one of the top women’s basketball games of the season.
Darius Hannah scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help No. 2 seed Bradley beat No. 11 Valparaiso 70-65 on Saturday in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Kiki Iriafen scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half Saturday to help send No. 2 USC into the Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Trojans will face UCLA on Sunday.
Nick Martinelli scored 28 points in Northwestern’s 74-61 loss to No. 13 Maryland on Saturday. The Wildcats are still likely to reach the Big Ten Tournament despite the defeat.
Oluchi Okananwa had 14 points off the bench and Ashlon Jackson scored 12 to help No. 11 Duke beat No. 6 Notre Dame 61-56 in the ACC Tournament semifinals Saturday.