Raegan Beers powers Oklahoma, NC State wins ACC title share

The final day of the regular season had a little bit of everything: dominant wire-to-wire championship victories, the unlikeliest of upsets

The final day of the regular season had a little bit of everything: dominant wire-to-wire championship victories, the unlikeliest of upsets, an overtime (nearly) buzzer-beater, heated battles for postseason positioning and a coin flip.

That coin flip is going to live in my memory for a long time. The countdown clock on SEC Network began even before South Carolina and Texas tipped off in their respective games. The broadcast was peppered with staged photos of the specially commissioned coin with confetti and championship regalia. Commissioner Greg Sankey spent two hours practicing his flip. Analyst Carolyn Peck extolled the virtues of playing earlier in the day because of the daylight saving time switch before the final.

All to determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in an SEC tournament that will be a home site for the coin-flip-winning Gamecocks, no matter what, in Greenville, S.C. And as No. 3 seed LSU is without Flau’jae Johnson for the next week, the second spot might have been more desirable.

A day earlier, when USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said, “College basketball is supposed to be fun,” as her team celebrated a Big Ten title, I don’t think she was referencing Sankey spinning a coin from an isolated room as though he were hawking a collectible on the Home Shopping Network.

But that’s the beauty of college sports. Even as these athletes compete as hard as they can in tournaments that will draw the attention of the entire nation, there can be some silliness and levity. Olivia Miles can dap up the Notre Dame football coach. Cheryl and Reggie Miller can exchange barbs as they root on their L.A. alma maters. Dawn Staley can tease her fans about Raven Johnson’s potential return during South Carolina’s senior celebration.

March is going to be tense and thrilling and every other emotion under the sun. Let’s also have some fun with it.

Dropped out: Utah (21)

Almost famous: Creighton, Iowa St., Ole Miss

Three teams rising

NC State wins ACC title share

NC State benefited from an easy schedule this week, comfortably taking down Wake Forest and SMU en route to a share of the ACC title and the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament. But the Wolfpack earned the bump with two teams ahead of them faltering, and thanks to two ranked wins the prior week at Georgia Tech and against Notre Dame.

The 2024 national semifinalists have a three-headed perimeter monster, and lately, it has been Zoe Brooks’ turn. The sophomore sandwicred her 33-point career-high against the Irish with two 17-point outings and 19 versus the Mustangs. Her usage has shifted toward scoring rather than playmaking as Saniya Rivers takes on more point guard duties; with more opportunities to function as a finisher, Brooks has gotten into the paint more often and drawn more fouls in the process. Her scoring average is up from 14.3 to 17 over the past five games, and she’s earning 5.6 free throws per night during that stretch.

That doesn’t mean Brooks’ playmaking has gone by the wayside, however. She is the lone NC State guard who can get to the rim both to score and to pass, which stretches the defense in unique ways. She’s also still throwing cross-court lasers, activating the Wolfpack’s shooters and rim-runners.

Oklahoma’s Beers powers return

In 31 games in 2023-24, Raegan Beers attempted 22 field goals in transition. There weren’t many opportunities as a back-to-the-basket center in a slow-paced Oregon State offense (66.2 possessions per game). Now playing for Oklahoma, the fastest-paced team (79.6 possessions/game) in the country, Beers has had to adjust. Not a drastic adjustment, but 33 field-goal attempts in transition represent a 50 percent increase from last season, and in fewer games.

Three of those came against Alabama on Sunday. Beers was spectacularly efficient, converting 8 of 9 field goals for 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a seven-point win. Much of her success came from running the floor, sealing a helpless defender (Essence Cody fell over multiple times when Beers fought for position), and finishing early in the shot clock. It’s a slightly different look than the Beaver Beers, but an effective one nonetheless.

Beers averaged 20.8 points over the last five games since returning from an illness, helping the Sooners end the regular season on a seven-game winning streak to presumably remain in hosting position for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Beating the Crimson Tide, who could have jumped Oklahoma after a win over LSU earlier in the week, was critical to staying