The first-ever College Basketball Crown continued on Thursday with the final two quarterfinal games.
First up, in an all-Big 12 matchup between UCF and Cincinnati, the Knights and Bearcats traded leads throughout, until Darius Johnson erupted in the final minutes and led UCF to victory.
After that was another fun showdown. Eric Dixon, who became Villanova‘s all-time leading scorer on Tuesday, came through once again for the Wildcats in a close battle with USC.
[Related: From Eric Dixon’s record night to Kevin Willard’s arrival, all eyes on Villanova]
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UCF and Villanova move on to play each other in the next round. On Wednesday night, the other half of the bracket was set when Boise State and Nebraska advanced to the semifinals.
The winning team of each quarterfinal matchup takes home $50K, with a chance to earn more in the next round. The semifinals will be Saturday, followed by the championship game on Sunday, all of which will air on FOX.
Here are the highlights from Thursday!
Eric Dixon and Rashaun Agee carried their teams into the quarterfinals, but both were cold in the first half Thursday night. Agee was 0-for-3 from 3 and had nine points. Dixon was 2-of-8 shooting, including 0-for-4 from behind the arc, for four points.
USC held a 31-27 lead at halftime and built that up to a 12-point advantage less than five minutes into the second half. Then Dixon woke up. He was responsible for 14 of Villanova’s points during a 16-2 run in the middle of the half, giving the Wildcats a 45-43 lead.
Villanova’s Eric Dixon finishes and-one to take lead against USC
Agee stepped up, too. He had 13 points in the second half and a couple of ferocious dunks.
Down the stretch, the teams went back and forth the rest of the way until the score was tied 59-59 with less than a minute left. Then Agee fouled Dixon, who went to the line and made one of his two attempts. Desmond Claude drove to the basket with a chance to put USC up, but his attempt hit the rim.
Who else but Dixon came down with the board. However, Dixon again missed his free throw attempt. With two seconds left, USC needed a miracle. The Trojans didn’t get it, though, as the buzzer sounded before Agee got his shot off.
The Wildcats came away with the nail-biting 60-59 win. Dixon finished with 28 points, 24 of which came in the second half. Wooga Poplar chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds for Villanova.
While Agee ended with an impressive 22 points, Saint Thomas was the Trojans’ leading scorer with 23 points. The senior forward also had a game-high 13 rebounds.
Villanova Wildcats vs. USC Trojans The Crown Highlights | FOX College Hoops
UCF uses late run to pull away from Cincinnati
During a tight second half, UCF’s Darius Johnson created space for his jumpers and thus created space between the Knights and Bearcats on the scoreboard. He hit a side-step jump-shot from the right elbow, then a pull-up 3-pointer from the right wing and then a step-back triple from the left wing as he dropped eight consecutive points late in the second half.
As Johnson heated up, the announcers raved about his unique “moon ball” shooting form, which he launches from his chest, into the sky, before it falls into the basket.
Johnson finished with a game-high 31 points and seven assists.
The Knights were also given a momentum lift when Benny Williams rose for a put-back dunk late in the game.
UCF ultimately closed out Cincinnati in an 88-80 victory to advance to the College Basketball Crown semifinals. Day Day Thomas led the Bearcats with 19 points, while Dillon Mitchell put up a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds).
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. UCF Knights The Crown Highlights | FOX College Hoops
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