Bueckers helps UConn rip Creighton for 23rd Big East tourney crown
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Paige Bueckers scored 24 points and Azzi Fudd added 13 to help No. 3 UConn beat 22nd-ranked Creighton 70-50 to win the Big East championship Monday night.
It’s the 23rd Big East title and fifth consecutive one for the Huskies (31-3) since they returned to the conference in 2021. This was Creighton’s first time in the championship game since 2016, when the Bluejays lost to St. John’s.
Overall, it is the Huskies’ 30th conference tournament title, making them the first team to have 30 conference tournament titles in Division I history.
Sarah Strong had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for the Huskies, who scored the game’s first 11 points. The Bluejays then scored seven straight, but could get no closer as the Huskies answered with a 16-4 run to end the quarter up 27-11.
Strong joins Aaliyah Edwards (2023) and Napheesa Collier (2019) as the only UConn players with 3 double-doubles in a single conference tournament since 2000, according to ESPN Research.
Since losing to Tennessee on Feb. 6, the Huskies have looked unbeatable. They won every game by at least 19 points, including a 29-point win at South Carolina. UConn enters the NCAA tournament on a 10-game win streak, tied with TCU for the longest active win streak by a major conference team, according to ESPN Research.
Lauren Jensen scored 13 points to lead Creighton (26-6). The Bluejays came into the game averaging over nine 3-pointers a game and shooting 37% from behind the arc. They were just 6 for 23 against UConn, with five of the makes coming in the second half.
The Bluejays have an impressive resume, with their only losses this season coming to UConn (three times), UCLA, South Dakota State and Kansas State. They could be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament no matter where they are seeded.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
South Carolina captures its third straight SEC title in a dominating 64-45 win over Texas. (1:46)
UCLA vaulted back up to No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday after beating USC for the Big Ten title over the weekend.
The Bruins, who spent 12 weeks atop the poll before losing to the rival Trojans in early February, received 16 first-place votes from a national panel to jump from fourth to first. It was the second time this season that the Bruins leaped over a few teams to move up to No. 1. UCLA topped then-No. 1 South Carolina before Thanksgiving to move up four places to claim the top ranking.
First-place votes in parentheses:
South Carolina knocked off previous No. 1 Texas in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship game and moved up to second from fifth in the poll. The Gamecocks garnered nine first-place ballots.
Texas and USC going down marked just the fourth time since the 1999-2000 season that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the poll lost on the same day, according to Stats Perform. It last occurred Nov. 30, 2019, when Oregon was first and Baylor was second.
UConn remained third going into Monday night’s game against No. 22 Creighton for the Big East title. The Huskies received the other seven first-place votes.
USC, which beat UCLA twice in the regular season, fell two spots to fourth and Texas dropped to fifth.
TCU climbed up two spots to sixth for the highest ranking in school history after topping Baylor for the Big Ten championship Sunday. The Horned Frogs last won a tournament title in 2005 when they were a member of Conference USA.
Duke moved up four places to seventh after it beat NC State Wolfpacks for the ACC championship. It was the Blue Devils’ first tournament title in 12 years. It’s also the team’s best ranking since it was also seventh on Nov. 17, 2014.
Notre Dame fell to eighth, with NC State and LSU rounding out the top 10.
Ins and outs
Mississippi joined the poll at No. 25 after reaching the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. Ole Miss was ranked for the first nine weeks of the season. Michigan State fell out of the poll.
Getting recognition
UTSA received a vote in the poll for the first time in school history. The Roadrunners finished off the regular season with a school record 26 wins, including a 17-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference. The 17 conference victories match the school mark set in 2002-03 when the team was in the Southland Conference.
The team is led by conference Player of the Year Jordyn Jenkins and is coached by Karen Aston.
Conference breakdown
The Southeastern Conference has eight ranked teams. The ACC and Big 12 each have five while the Big Ten has four. The Big East has two and the Summit League one.
Games of the week
With the power conference tournaments finished, attention turns to the mid-major showdowns. The MAAC, NEC and Ivy League all have their championships this weekend.
ESPN
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AP women’s basketball Top 25
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| 1. UCLA (16) | 30-2 |
| 2. South Carolina (9) | 30-3 |
| 3. UConn (7) | 30-3 |
| 4. USC | 28-3 |
| 5. Texas | 31-3 |
| 6. TCU | 31-3 |
| 7. Duke | 26-7 |
| 8. Notre Dame | 26-5 |
| 9. NC State | 26-6 |
| 10. LSU | 28-5 |
| 11. Oklahoma | 25-7 |
| 12. North Carolina | 27-7 |
| 13. Kentucky | 22-7 |
| 14. Baylor | 27-7 |
| 15. Ohio State | 25-6 |
| 16. West Virginia | 24-7 |
| 17. Oklahoma State | 25-6 |
| 18. Maryland | 23-7 |
| 19. Kansas State | 26-7 |
| 20. Tennessee | 22-9 |
| 21. Alabama | 23-8 |
| 22. Creighton | 26-5 |
| 23. Florida State | 23-8 |
| 24. South Dakota State | 29-3 |
| 25. Mississippi | 20-10 |
Women’s Basketball 3/9/2025 11:16:00 PM
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The No. 3 ranked and No. 1 seeded UConn women’s basketball team (30-3) will face No. 23 ranked and No. 2 seeded Creighton (26-5) for the BIG EAST Championship on Monday at 7 p.m. The game will air on FS1 and the UConn Sports Network from Learfield (FOX Sports 97-9).
The Huskies are seeking their 30th conference tournament title and 23rd as members of the BIG EAST.
UConn is 44-1 all-time at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Huskies have never lost a BIG EAST Tournament game in the arena.
UConn took home numerous BIG EAST end-of-season honors. Redshirt senior Paige Bueckers was unanimously named the conference’s Player of the Year, becoming the fourth player in league history to win three times. After earning 10 Freshman of the Week honors this season, Sarah Strong was selected as the unanimous Freshman of the Year.
UConn advanced to the championship game with an 82-54 win over Villanova. Redshirt senior Paige Bueckers had 23 points while freshman Sarah Strong had 20 points and a season-high 16 rebounds.
UConn is 11-0 all-time vs. Creighton. The Huskies won 72-61 in Omaha on Jan 25 and 72-63 on Feb. 27 in Hartford.
Creighton advanced to the championship game with a 73-44 win over Seton Hall on Sunday. This season, Lauren Jensen leads the Bluejays with 18.0 points per game while Morgan Maly is averaging 17.5 per game. Head coach Jim Flanery is in his 23rd season at Creighton.
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