The College Basketball Crown continued Saturday with two semifinal matchups, and now the stage is set for the inaugural championship game between UCF and Nebraska on Sunday evening at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Earlier on FOX, the Huskers took down Boise State by double digits, 79-69, to punch their ticket to the title game. Then, an exhilarating back-and-forth battle ended with the Knights topping Villanova in overtime, 104-98.
Here are the highlights!
UCF outlasts Villanova in OT to advance to championship game
UCF went on a 5-0 run to start, but Villanova pulled within one point early in the first half after some tough buckets.
After a back-and-forth battle, UCF carried a slight edge into halftime, 48-44.
The Knights were rolling to start the second half, pulling ahead by double digits at the 13:13-minute mark.
Just when you thought things were over in this one, the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run late in the game to take a three-point lead, 77-74, with 4:12 to play. Both teams traded 3s in the game’s final minutes to keep things competitive, and it was a two-point game with roughly one minute remaining, with Villanova in front.
Things came down to the wire in this one, and a clutch 3 from the Knights with less than 10 seconds left sent the game into overtime, where UCF cashed in for the eventual six-point win.
UCF senior Darius Johnson scored 10 of his career-high 42 points in OT. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Jordan Ivy-Curry hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 with seven rebounds. Deebo Coleman hit three 3s and scored 13.
Johnson scored 13 second-half points and hit the game-tying 3 with eight seconds left in the second half to send the game to overtime. Johnson shot 2-for-3 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in the five-minute OT.
Nebraska tops Boise State by double digits to advance to title game
Boise State started strong, cashing in for the first 3 of the day to open the scoring. The Broncos never trailed until the 4:51-minute mark in the first half, when Nebraska took its first lead, 29-27.
After that, the Huskers started firing on all cylinders and took a six-point lead into halftime, 39-33.
It was an immediate back-and-forth battle to start the second half, as both teams made buckets right out of the gate. Nebraska had the slight edge and continued to build its lead with one big play after another.
In the end, Nebraska was able to keep the momentum on its side and cruised to a 10-point win.
Juwan Gary had 21 points to lead Nebraska, along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Brice Williams added 14 points, six assists and five rebounds. Sam Hoiberg had 10 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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