Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.

Daily Headlines

#1 UConn dominates #3 Illinois to head to second straight Final Four

UConn aimed to be the first team since the 2007 Florida Gators to return to the Final Four a year after winning the national title and completed that mission on Saturday night in Boston. Late in the first half, UConn and Illinois were tied at 23-23, but the ensuing nine minutes of action were dominated by the Huskies. A 30-0 run for UConn spanning across both halves gave the Huskies a 53-23 lead, and they never looked back, winning 77-52. Donovan Clingan was the difference maker for UConn on both sides of the ball, finishing the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and five blocks. Terrence Shannon Jr. was shut down by the Huskies’ defense, finishing with eight points and going 2-12 from the field. UConn’s win puts them back in the Final Four where they will meet Alabama, the representative from the West Region next Saturday.

#4 Alabama advances to first-ever Final Four with win over #6 Clemson

Saturday’s second game saw Alabama and Clemson battling it out in Los Angeles, with both teams looking for their first-ever Final Four appearance. It was the Crimson Tide who got the job done Saturday night, hitting 16 three-pointers en route to an 89-82 victory. Clemson jumped out to an early 26-13 lead, but Alabama scored 22 of the first half’s final 28 points to take a three-point lead into the break. Mark Sears heated up in the second half for Alabama, taking control late on his way to 23 points off of seven three-pointers. Freshman Jarin Stevenson had a great game off the bench for Alabama, scoring 19 points on five three-pointers of his own. PJ Hall battled foul trouble all night long for the Tigers, eventually fouling out. Joe Girard III’s 19 points led Clemson in the scoring column in the loss. Alabama’s win matches them up against UConn next Saturday in the Final Four, a place they’ll be for the first time in school history.

Midwest and South region finals set for Sunday afternoon (2:20 ET, 5:05 ET, CBS)

The top two seeds in the Midwest Region advanced to the Elite Eight, the only region where the top two seeds survived this far. Purdue made their way easily through the top half of the bracket, beating Grambling State by 28, Utah State by 39, and Gonzaga by 12. The Volunteers dominated Saint Peter’s in round one but battled past Texas and Creighton in single-digit games over the last two rounds. Purdue won the first meeting between these two teams 71-67 back on November 21st in the Maui Invitational. Purdue’s exciting backcourt and dominant frontcourt play from Zach Edey will match up against the lightning rod known as Dalton Knecht and the stifling Tennessee defense at 2:20 ET on CBS on Sunday afternoon.

An all-ACC affair has the fourth and final place in the Final Four on the line in Dallas, Texas on Sunday afternoon, when #4 Duke matches up against #11 NC State. Duke took care of business in round one and two, beating Vermont by 17 and James Madison by 38 before squeaking past top-seeded Houston 54-51 in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. NC State has won eight games in a row dating back to the first round of the ACC Tournament, including a 74-69 win over Duke in the ACC quarterfinals. The Wolfpack’s NCAA Tournament run consisted of a 13-point win over Texas Tech, an overtime win over Oakland, and a stunning 67-58 win over #2 Marquette. Duke and NC State will battle it out at 5:05 ET on CBS on Sunday afternoon for the rights to play either Purdue or Tennessee.

Other Things to Note:

• Charleston transfer guard Reyne Smith (13 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg) has committed to Louisville and will follow the footsteps of his coach Pat Kelsey
• All-WAC Grand Canyon senior guard Rayshon Harrison (14 ppg, 3 rpg, 4 apg) has entered the transfer portal as a grad transfer
• Texas Tech sophomore guard Pop Isaacs (16 ppg, 3 rpg, 4 apg) has entered the transfer portal