Hello, March

Welcome to the best month of the year. Let’s dive into what happened this weekend, and make you aware what’s coming this week.

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1. It’s Championship Week(s) + regular-season champs

If you haven’t already, it’s time to adjust your meetings for this week and next. Following conference tournaments on your phone while Tim from marketing going through his Power Point is no way to live.

Study the image below, and cross-check your days with your meetings. You’ll probably have to make some accommodations, but that’s life as an adult.

We’ll have more all week (and next) for conference tournament previews. In the meantime, let’s give some props to the programs that clinched regular-season titles over the weekend.

• No. 1 Duke 77, No. 11 Virginia 51: Isaiah Evans scored 19 points as the Devils (27-2, 15-1 in ACC) claimed at least a share of the ACC title.

• No. 2 Arizona 84, No. 14 Kansas 61: Brayden Burries had a double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds) as the Wildcats (27-2, 14-2 in Big 12) avenged an earlier loss to Kansas (21-8, 11-5) with a resounding home win. They used a 19-0 second-half run to lead by as many as 18 points.

• No. 3 Michigan 84, Illinois 70: The Wolverines (27-2, 17-1 in Big Ten) claimed the league outright, and probably cemented a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in the process. The only bad news? Sophomore LJ Cason is done for the year with a torn ACL.

• No. 7 Florida 111, No. 20 Arkansas 77: Thomas Haugh (22 points), Rueben Chinyelu (12 points, 16 rebounds) helped the Gators (23-6, 14-2 in SEC) turn Saturday’s league showdown into a laugher against Arkansas (21-8, 11-5). Florida won its ninth-straight game and a share of their first regular-season title since 2014.

• Saint Mary’s 70, No. 9 Gonzaga 59: The Gaels (27-4, 16-2 in WCC) split the season series with the Zags (28-3, 16-2) behind Mikey Lewis (31 points) and some stiff defense (Gonzaga scored just .92 points per possession, its second-worst game of the season). The two shared the regular-season title, though it’s worth noting the Gaels have won or shared each of the last four.

• South Florida 90, Tulane 62: Last season, Bryan Hodgson won the Sun Belt with Arkansas State. This season, the Bulls (21-8, 13-3 in American) put the finishing touches on the regular-season crown on Sunday, the program’s second in three seasons. It’s also Hodgson’s third 20-win season in his first three years as a head coach.

• Liberty 81, Jacksonville State 78: The Flames (24-5, 16-2 in CUSA) got the league title outright.

• Central Arkansas 84, Queens 79; Bellarmine 111, Austin Peay 97: The Govs (21-8, 15-3 in ASUN) clinched the title last week, but did drop its last two games of the regular season, which allowed the Bears (20-11, 15-3) to share the crown.

• Tennessee State 67, UT Martin 42; Morehead State 76, Little Rock 70: One more shared regular-season crown. Nolan Smith led Tennessee State (21-9, 15-5 in OVC) to a title in his first season as head coach, while Morehead (19-12, 15-5) closed the season with seven consecutive wins in Jonathan Mattox’s second season at the helm.

• Stephen F. Austin 77, Houston Christian 56: The Lumberjacks (26-4, 19-2 in Southland) clinched a share of the league. They can win it outright tonight.

• Troy 80, UL Monroe 65: Thomas Dowd’s double-double (22 points, 11 boards) helped the Trojans (20-11, 12-6 in Sun Belt) claim back-to-back regular-season titles.

• UMBC 84, UMass Lowell 60: Jah’likai King scored 24 points as the Retrievers (20-8, 13-2 in America East) won its first outright title since 2008.

2. Could Florida pass UConn for final No. 1 seed?

Duke, Michigan and Arizona earned impressive wins over the weekend. Those three teams are consensus No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament, per BracketMatrix. They’re the top three teams in NET ratings and nearly every predictive metric. If there’s such a thing as a consensus top three, it’s those three.

That other No. 1 seed is a two-team race.

No. 6 UConn is the other top seed (as of now) because of the quality metrics on its profile. It’s fourth in Strength of Record and Wins Above Bubble, but hasn’t stacked as many Quad 1 wins as the other 1 seeds due to the relative weakness of the Big East this season.

It’s also been inconsistent. The Huskies (27-3, 17-2 in Big East) crushed St. John’s last week, but needed a rally to beat Seton Hall, 71-67, on Saturday. They got it done when it mattered — Seton Hall (19-10, 9-9) missed 12 of its last 16 shots and a golden opportunity for a resume-bolstering win — but when compared to what Florida’s done over the last month, it might fall short.

The Gators dismantled Arkansas in historic fashion on Saturday. We’re talking Loyola Marymount-Michigan stuff. They’ve been running through the SEC. Seven of their eight wins in February were by double digits. It’s scored 90-plus points in six-straight games, the third-longest streak in a single season for the AP poll.

If Florida does more of the same against Miss State on Tuesday, then closes with a flourish at Kentucky, it may very well overcome that 5-4 start to the season — which did include a loss to UConn.

And we’ll see what the seeding committee values most when it comes to No. 1 seeds.

3. Biggest bubble winners, losers

Ohio State should advocate for playing Purdue twice during Big Ten play. It sure suits Jake Diebler.

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