A league of their own

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1. Arizona leaves no doubt about Big 12’s best

Arizona blew out Kansas on Saturday, then did the same to No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night, 73-57. That’s a pair of double-digit wins and an outright Big 12 title.

That’s a pretty sweet three days.

Neither team could make a shot early on, but once the No. 2 Wildcats (28-2, 15-2 in Big 12) started connecting, that was it. They used a 15-3 run before halftime to take a 12-point lead, then after the Cyclones cut it to seven points with 13 minutes remaining, pulled away and led by as many as 21 points in the second half.

"What's the old cliche? It's a game of runs," coach Tommy Lloyd said. "When they make a run back at you, it's really important not to buckle, not to feel bad, not to feel guilty that you lost the lead because there's still a game to be played. We talk about that all the time, just staying steady, getting into the next thing. Let's be in the moment. The moment's this possession, and then let's try to create good opportunities for the next possession. We really keep it that simple."

Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 17 points, while center Motiejus Krivas added 13 points. Arizona held Iowa State to just 29% from the field and .85 points per possession, Iowa State’s second-worst game of the season.

It was a good night for Lloyd, too. He passed former Butler coach Brad Stevens with the most wins in his first five seasons as a head coach with 140.

Arizona closes its season with a trip to Colorado on Saturday. It’s likely locked up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well.

"That is as good of a team as we’ve played against in the time I’ve been the head coach at Iowa State," Cyclones coach TJ Otzelberger said.

Iowa State (24-6, 11-6) lost its second-straight game and for the third time in the last four. If Kansas beats Arizona State tonight, that’ll leave the Cyclones as the fifth seed for the Big 12 tournament. How many leagues have a Top 10 team finish outside the top four of its league?

2. Duke stomps NC State, claims ACC + more results

Was it a foregone conclusion that No. 1 Duke would win the ACC outright? Maybe. But winning at NC State by 29 points for the clincher? That was a moderate surprise.

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