He just wins

Good morning! Saturday’s showdown of top 4 teams wasn’t the prettiest basketball, but it sure was entertaining.

Let's get to it.

1. Duke claims clash of titans vs. Michigan

Even after Duke’s 68-63 win over No. 1 Michigan on Saturday, there are reasons why the Wolverines still have a case as college basketball’s best team.

And there may even be some debate to its best player. But its most important player? The one who matters the most? There’s no debating it’s Cameron Boozer.

After his 18-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist, 2-block performance against Michigan — a team with the height and athletes to theoretically match or overwhelm the 6-9 freshman — the NPOY race was essentially wrapped up. That was Boozer’s 15th game this season with at least 15 points and 10 rebounds. He’s so far ahead of Joshua Jefferson in the KenPom POY rankings that it’s just a race for second.

And it’s not that Boozer was perfect for No. 3 Duke. He just did what he always does: Makes plays that win games.

“On my mind is making winning plays, helping our team win. I feel like I did that tonight,” Boozer said. “And if I do that, my talent, my game, is gonna show just from making winning plays. That’s what makes me great.”

The Duke frontcourt followed suit. Patrick Ngongba II added 11 points and six boards, and forward Maliq Brown’s defensive versatility was essential in 19 minutes. Duke limited Michigan (25-2) on the offensive glass (it grabbed just 22% of its misses) and held it to a season low on points on just 28.6% from the field in the second half.

The Devils (25-2) will certainly be No. 1 when the AP poll refreshes today. It has the most wins over ranked teams (9) of anyone this season. Michigan should be No. 2, but that could go to Arizona. After Saturday, it’s mostly fair to hope that we see a rematch in April.

2. Eight programs celebrated titles this weekend

It’s the last week before conference tournaments begin, so we’ll see plenty of teams clinch regular-season titles this week.

And a handful already did.

Navy and Belmont were the first to do so earlier in the week, but the Bruins clinched the Missouri Valley title outright with an 87-70 win over Indiana State on Saturday. Belmont (25-4, 15-3) got 18 points from Jack Smiley off the bench. It closes with Evansville and at Illinois State, which will be a tough test before Arch Madness starts next week.

North Dakota State claimed its first regular-season Summit League crown since 2020 with 95-59 trouncing of Kansas City on Saturday. The Bison (23-6, 13-1) are three games clear of second-place St. Thomas, which hosts the Bison on Thursday.

An 87-75 win at UNC Greensboro ensured East Tennessee State (21-8, 13-3 in SoCon) got the outright league crown, and its first since 2020 when it was 30-4 and swept the regular-season and tourney titles.

Austin Peay wrapped up the Atlantic Sun title — its first ASun title in program history — with a 65-61 win at Jacksonville. The Govs (21-6, 15-1) have won 10-straight games.

Merrimack snagged the outright MAAC title with a thrilling 88-86 double OT win over Iona on Sunday. The Warriors (20-9, 16-2) have won eight games in a row and have thrived since joining the MAAC last season. Coach Joe Gallo is 30-8 in that span and will likely break Tom Pecora’s record for most wins by a MAAC coach in his first two seasons.

LIU clinched its first regular-season title since 2012 despite losing 91-83 at Mercyhurst because Central Connecticut also lost to Chicago State.

The Big Sky Tournament (I love the “Starch Madness” moniker) doesn’t start until March, but Portland State already clinched at least a share of the league title. It’s the first since 2008. The Pilots (18-8, 12-3) can win it outright with a win at Montana State on Thursday.

Wright State grabbed at least a share of the Horizon League crown, but couldn’t clinch it outright. The Raiders (18-11, 13-5) will need to rebound from an 81-68 loss Sunday to Robert Morris and beat Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday.

3. Arizona wins at Houston in wild Big 12 day

Saturday’s other top 4 showdown wasn’t an offensive showcase, which usually means Houston has the edge. Yet No. 4 Arizona pulled off a rare feat with a 73-66 victory at No. 2 Houston.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.