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A32 sports
Diaranson 2 Maart 2022

Major conference races going down to the wire in final week

home game in the storied ca- While seven of the top 10 the regular season against
reer of coach Mike Krzyze- teams lost on Saturday, No. No. 17 UCLA in a rivalry
wski. 10 Wisconsin (23-5, 14-4 Big game Saturday.
Ten) kept its hold on the Big
It could decide the ACC reg- Ten lead with a win against The SEC has a four-team
ular-season title, too. Rutgers. race going down to the wire.

The Blue Devils (25-4, 15-3, The Badgers lead by a game No. 13 Tennessee (21-7, 12-
ACC) moved up three spots over No. 8 Purdue and No. 4, SEC) tightened things up
in this week’s poll and gave 20 Illinois, but face a huge on Saturday by beating No. 5
themselves a one-game lead test against the Boilermak- Auburn 67-62.
over Notre Dame by beating ers on Tuesday. Wisconsin
Syracuse on Saturday. closes out the regular season The Tigers (25-4, 13-3) lead
at home against Nebraska on the Vols, No. 7 Kentucky and
Duke also plays at Pittsburgh Sunday. No. 14 Arkansas by a half-
on Tuesday in its bid to win game. Auburn closes out
the ACC regular-season title No. 8 Purdue (24-5, 13-5) the regular season with road
for the first time since 2010. missed out on a big opportu- games against Mississippi
nity in Saturday’s chaos, los- State and South Carolina.
No. 3 Baylor took a big step ing to Michigan State 68-65.
in tightening the Big 12 race That dropped the Boilermak- The Wildcats (23-6, 12-4)
with its 80-70 win over No. ers four spots in this week’s play Ole Miss and Florida.
6 Kansas on Saturday. The poll and potentially off the The Razorbacks (23-6, 12-4)
Bears, who climbed seven No. 1 seed line in the NCAA face LSU and close out the
spots in Monday’s AP Top Tournament. regular season against Ten-
25, then took over the con- nessee, which also has a game
ference lead by a half-game Purdue finishes the regu- against Georgia.
with Monday night’s 68-61 lar season Saturday at home
win over Texas. against Indiana. Auburn clinches with two
wins this week, but things
Baylor hosts Iowa State on Illinois (20-8, 13-5) hosts could get complicated if it
Saturday. Penn State on Thursday and loses either one.
No. 24 Iowa Sunday.
Kansas (23-5, 12-3 Big 12) has
(AP) - An unprecedented No. 2 Arizona leads No. 16 three games left in its bid to No. 2 Arizona cost itself a
day of chaos led to chang- Southern California by 1 1/2 win at least a share of its 20th shot at securing at least a
es nearly everywhere in games, but has three games Big 12 title in 26 years. The share of the Pac-12 regular-
the AP Top 25, except the this week. Jayhawks play TCU, which season title with its lackluster
top two spots. beat No. 12 Texas Tech last loss at Colorado on Saturday.
In the Big East, No. 9 Provi- week, in consecutive games
It also tightened up major dence clinched the regular- and close out the regular sea- The Wildcats (25-3, 15-2 Pac-
conference races across the season title over the weekend. son at home against Texas on 12) still have a 1 1/2-game
country. Saturday. lead in the conference, but
To say it’s going to be a big face a tough makeup game
Heading into the final week week in the AP Top 25 is an Texas Tech is 1 1/2 games at Southern California on
of the regular season, the understatement. No. 4 Duke back of Baylor after beat- Tuesday. Arizona closes out
first-place team in every un- will play one of the biggest ing Kansas State on Monday the regular season at home
decided league except the games in Cameron Indoor night and closes the season against Stanford on Thursday
Pac-12 has a lead of one Stadium history on Saturday. against Oklahoma State on and California on Saturday.
game or less. The Pac-12 Not only is it against North Saturday.
hasn’t been decided, either; Carolina, it will be the final The Trojans (25-4, 14-4) end

Hokies’ Kitley, Wolfpack’s Moore headline ACC women’s honors

(AP) — Virginia Tech cen- for top rookie while they
ter Elizabeth Kitley has She finished ahead of North aligned with the overall panel
been named the Atlantic Carolina State center Elissa on Kitley and Moore.
Coast Conference wom- Cunane — the preseason
en’s basketball player of pick for player of the year — The coaches also voted on
the year, while North Car- and Louisville forward Em- additional categories, choos-
olina State’s Wes Moore ily Engstler in a vote by the ing Georgia Tech’s Lorela
has been chosen as coach league’s Blue Ribbon Panel Cubaj as defensive player of
of the year. that includes media mem- the year, N.C. State’s Dia-
bers along with the ACC’s 15 mond Johnson as sixth player
The league released its an- head coaches. of the year and Boston Col-
nual honors Tuesday, the day lege’s Cameron Swartz as
before the start of the ACC Moore was voted top coach most improved player.
Tournament. after guiding the third-
ranked Wolfpack to the pro- Kitley’s selection ended a run
Kitley, a 6-foot-6 junior, fin- gram’s first regular-season of four straight years with
ished second in the league in title since 1990. Cardinals players being se-
both scoring (17.7 points per lected as top player, though
game) and rebounding (10.2) Notre Dame freshman guard fourth-ranked Louisville was
for the 21st-ranked Hokies, Sonia Citron was selected as the only team with two first-
marking the first time a Vir- rookie of the year. Among the team all-ACC picks in Eng-
ginia Tech player has earned coaches, Duke’s Shayeann stler and guard Hailey Van
the honor. Day-Wilson was their choice Lith.