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 takes down #4 Alabama to reach second straight championship game

The nightcap semifinal in Phoenix was the better of the two games, as the #1 overall seed UConn Huskies took down #4 Alabama 86-72 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. Alabama had a hot shooting first half and trailed by just four at the break. The second half began with a couple of runs by each team before the Huskies broke the game open en route to victory.

Mark Sears led all scorers with an efficient 24 points on 9-14 shooting but came up on the losing end with the Crimson Tide. The Huskies saw a balanced attack, with all five starters reaching double digits. Freshman Stephon Castle was UConn’s leading scorer, scoring 21 points. UConn’s win puts them in their second straight championship game, and they’ll meet Purdue in Phoenix on Monday night at 9:20 ET for the National Championship.

#1 Purdue ends #11 NC State’s Cinderella run to reach championship game

Saturday night’s opening semifinal was a bit slower than the game that followed, a 63-50 scoreline in favor of Purdue. Braden Smith struggled for the first time this tournament, committing five turnovers and shooting just 1-9 from the field. Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones made up for it in the Boilermakers’ backcourt, combining to hit seven three-pointers.

The Boilermakers extended a 35-29 lead partway through the second half, and the Wolfpack were never truly back into the game over the last 12 minutes. Zach Edey had a modest 20 points and 12 rebounds but didn’t dominate the same way he had in previous games. NC State struggled offensively, and outside of DJ Horne’s 20 points, was almost non-existent. Purdue’s win sets them up to have a chance to win a national championship on Monday night just a year after losing to #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first-round last year, something Virginia achieved in 2019 after its loss to UMBC in 2018.

Other Things to Note:

• FAU senior guard Alijah Martin (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg) enters the transfer portal
• Dayton senior guard Kobe Elvis (9 ppg, 2 rpg, 4 apg) enters the transfer portal