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.
The day started with a scary moment in Duke’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech. Projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle and needed to be helped off the court just before halftime. The Blue Devils held on for a nervy win, but coach Jon Scheyer was noncommittal on Flagg’s status moving forward.
Later on Thursday, two-time defending national champion UConn returns to Madison Square Garden to try to remind everybody why the Huskies are so dangerous in March.
This week 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:
ACC
No. 1 Duke 78, No. 8 Georgia Tech 70
No. 4 Wake Forest vs. No. 5 UNC, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN or ESPN2
Big 12
No. 4 BYU 96, No. 5 Iowa State 92
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. 8 Oregon 72, No. 9 Indiana 59
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
Live29 updates
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM EDT
Coach Cal, Arkansas ousted from SEC tourney
The Hogs fought valiantly to get back into their second-round game against the Rebels, but they ultimately came up short after two missed free throws in the waning seconds and then the 3-pointer by Pedulla.
Coach Cal’s team will have a nervous few days as the Hogs are firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM EDT
Ole Miss buzzer-beater buries Arkansas!
The Rebels got a rebound on a missed free throw with 7.9 seconds left in a tie game and guard Sean Pedulla drilled the game-winning 3:
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:51 PM EDT
Cooper Flagg injury update
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said Flagg suffered an ankle sprain and that X-rays were negative. He did not say when Flagg would play again, only that they will determine his status going forward after they see how bad the swelling gets in his foot.
More on Flagg’s injury right here
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM EDT
Final: BYU 96, Iowa State 92
The Cougars’ torrid run continues. That’s their ninth consecutive win and advances them to the Big 12 semifinals, where they’ll play the winner of Colorado vs. Houston.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM EDT
BYU-Iowa State heating up
Meanwhile, we have a shootout between Iowa State and BYU. The Cyclones are projected to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament while the Cougars are likely looking at a No. 5 seed.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:28 PM EDT
Rick Pitino, St. John’s nab easy win
The Red Storm are as hot as any team in the country as we near March Madness. They’ve only lost one game in 2025 and rolled right through Butler in their Big East tournament opener.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:21 PM EDT
Duke’s narrow win costs bettors
Per John Ewing of BetMGM, Duke was the most-bet team on Thursday as a 23.5-point favorite. The Blue Devils won by eight after Cooper Flagg’s first-half injury.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM EDT
Final: Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70
The Blue Devils got more than they bargained for in their ACC tournament opener, but they survived and will face the winner of Wake Forest-North Carolina on Friday.
The bigger question is the severity of Cooper Flagg’s ankle injury and how long he’ll be out.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM EDT
Scoreboard update
As Duke-GT winds down, here’s a look at other notable live games ongoing:
St. John’s 74, Butler 51
Oregon 61, Indiana 54
Iowa State 68, BYU 61
Ole Miss 42, Arkansas 34
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:48 PM EDT
Duke’s lead hits double digits
The Blue Devils are firing on all cylinders now. After an alley-oop from Kon Knueppel to Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans drilled a 3-pointer to push Duke’s lead to double digits.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM EDT
Duke in control under 10-minute mark
The Yellow Jackets stopped the bleeding and are still hanging in there after Duke’s blitz out of the break.
The Blue Devils are shooting the ball much better in the second half after missing their first 13 3-point attempts and going 36.7% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:13 PM EDT
Duke surges out of the halftime break
Meanwhile, in on-court action, the Blue Devils scored the first 12 points out of the locker room and have taken the lead early in the second half. Kon Knueppel and Sion James hit 3s as Duke is finally finding the mark from deep.
That’s one way to respond after losing your star player.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:10 PM EDT
Cooper Flagg out of X-ray, listed as ‘doubtful’ to return
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM EDT
Cooper Flagg in wheelchair at halftime
The ESPN broadcast is now showing Cooper Flagg off his feet, being wheeled in a wheelchair to get examined:
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:51 PM EDT
Halftime: Georgia Tech 31, Duke 26
The Blue Devils cut into the GT lead late in the half, but the bigger concern is the health of Cooper Flagg. He had to be helped into the locker room just before the break.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:47 PM EDT
Cooper Flagg injured after block
Flagg headed to the Duke bench after he blocked Duncan Powell’s layup attempt late in the first half.
After Flagg denied Powell at the rim, the Blue Devils transitioned up court and Isaiah Evans nailed Duke’s first three-pointer of the game.
Flagg would need assistance as he headed back to Duke’s locker room with the first half coming to a close.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:41 PM EDT
Duke’s 3-point issues leading to double-digit Georgia Tech lead
With 3:56 left in the first half, Georgia Tech is up 26-12 and Duke’s poor shooting is the story.
The Blue Devils are 26% from the field and 0-for-13 from 3-point range. Cooper Flagg has just two points on 1-of-3 shooting.
Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo and Duncan Powell lead all players with nine points.
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM EDT
Georgia Tech rolling in 1st quarter vs. Duke
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Thu, March 13, 2025 at 12:26 PM EDT
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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