Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and UConn overwhelmed its fourth straight NCAA Tournament opponent, earning its first trip to the Final Four in nine years with an 82-54 blowout of Gonzaga.

Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer by UCLA’s Amari Bailey, lifting Gonzaga to a wild 79-76 win over UCLA in the Sweet 16.

Gonzaga, Auburn, Arizona and Kansas hold No. 1 seeds in the initial rankings for the committee that will select the field for next month’s 68-team men's NCAA Tournament.

Duke has jumped to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll after its win against Gonzaga.

Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points, freshman Chet Holmgren showed off his unique skill set and top-ranked Gonzaga overwhelmed No. 2 UCLA 83-63 to win the Empire Classic.

Baylor guard Adam Flagler (10) drives the ball against Iowa State guard Tre Jackson (3) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Waco, Texas. They finally overcame some of the rust and Iowa State for a 77-72 victory Tuesday night that made them 18-0 for the first time in school history. Iowa State (2-17, 0-14) jumped out to a 15-4 lead in less than 6 1/2 minutes on a jumper by Tre Jackson. Teague and Butler combined for the last nine Baylor points. They have been close and led in some of them, including in the second half at home against Baylor in a 76-65 home loss on Jan. 2.

Pat Chambers resigned as Penn State's basketball coach Wednesday following an internal investigation by the school into allegations of inappropriate conduct. Chambers, 49, had been at Penn State for nine years and was coming off the team’s best season under his directions. Chambers was in the middle of a four-year contract with Penn State that runs through 2021-22 season. He was 148-150 with Penn State, including an NIT championship in 2018. “Coach Chambers has made many contributions to the program and to this university for which we are grateful,” Barbour said.