While Madrid prepared to crown Mbappe their new prince, Benzema reminded us all that he's still king

MADRID -- It was written in the stars that a Frenchman would shine at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, when Real Madrid hosted Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League round-of-16 second leg. It just wasn't the one we all expected.

For his big audition in the Spanish capital ahead of a widely speculated move to Madrid this summer, Kylian Mbappe did what he does best: score goals and be the best player in the world. Yet the star of the show was his "big brother," Karim Benzema.

When the talk of the town was about Mbappe and his future, Benzema sent a reminder, not only to the whole of the Spanish capital but the rest of the world, that he is still the boss. He became the oldest player to score a hat trick in Champions League history, the first French player to score three hat tricks in the competition and he sent his team to the quarterfinals via a 3-1 win on the night and a 3-2 aggregate victory -- sending the Bernabeu into a frenzy in the process.

His celebrations, his evident joy, spoke volumes. Apart from his performance, there was little else from a disappointing Real Madrid side. They lacked intensity for the opening hour, but they can always rely on Benzema, who on this night overtook Alfredo Di Stefano as the third-leading goal scorer in Real Madrid history with 309 goals -- just behind Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He has been their saviour on more than one occasion this season -- and in the previous one, too. His three goals on Wednesday bring his total to eight in the Champions League this season and 77 in his career (only Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have more). This season, he has 30 goals and 11 assists in 31 matches across all competitions. That's 41 goal involvements in 31 matches, in a team that's struggled to create chances for him, at the age of 34. This is Ballon d'Or territory.

The incredible thing in this game is that he didn't even need much to score. The striker took full advantage of PSG's complacency and errors. How could Gianluigi Donnarumma give away the ball in the manner that he did on Madrid's first goal? What was Neymar doing with his terrible pass that led to the counterattack for the second goal? And what about Marquinhos' assist for Benzema's third? These were schoolboy errors, but Benzema was there to punish the Parisians all the same.

Just when we thought there was a new prince in Madrid, the king struck three times to remind everyone that the Santiago Bernabeu remains his castle.

If Ronaldo was watching from his sofa in Manchester, he surely would have appreciated Benzema's performance. It was a very Ronaldo-esque display, full of talent, efficiency and guts. The Frenchman bailed out his team much like his ex-teammate did so many times before.

Of course, this victory and Madrid's march to the quarterfinals is as much Benzema's success as it is PSG's failure.

Once again, Paris failed mentally. They choked, throwing away a two-goal lead in an unthinkable way.

We have been here before, of course. They conceded three goals in 16 minutes and 41 seconds on Wednesday, which last happened to them in the Champions League in the infamous Remontada in Barcelona (wherein PSG's 4-0 first-leg advantage ended in a 6-5 aggregate defeat) almost to this day five years ago.

At PSG, managers are hired and fired, players come and go, but some things never change. There is a lack of leadership, a lack of resilience, in every squad, year after year. The mindset of the entire football club is wrong.

The players shot themselves in the foot again. They were in control and gave it up far too easily, and too quickly.

Mauricio Pochettino had no answers. He was apathetic on the touchline, almost like he had seen a ghost. How could he leave Neymar on the pitch for the entire game considering the pressure PSG were under? Never mind the fact that the Brazilian just came back from a long-term injury. It is highly unlikely that Pochettino will still be the club's manager next season, despite being under contract until June 2023.

The PSG hierarchy will blame the referee and VAR for allowing the first goal to stand, not calling a foul on Benzema after his physical challenge on Donnarumma in the build-up, and this is part of the problem. When they capitulate like this, it is never their fault. There are always excuses, fault lying elsewhere, and PSG never look at themselves, admit their mistakes or the flaws in the way the club works -- or in this case, doesn't work.

The season is now over for PSG. They will win Ligue 1 but that is almost a minor detail. They failed to win the Trophee des Champions against Lille, they were knocked out of the Coupe de France in the round of 16 by Nice and they were humiliated again in the Champions League at the same stage.

This is the worst season the club has endured since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011. And it will be very hard to get over it.

Colgate: 2021-22 Patriot Men's Basketball Champions

HAMILTON, N.Y. (AP) — Tournament MVP Jack Ferguson scored 17 points, Nelly Cummings added 15 and Colgate turned away a late Navy push to win the Patriot League championship game 74-58 on Wednesday and return to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

Tucker Richardson scored 12 points as did Jeff Woodward, who grabbed eight rebounds. Oliver Lynch-Daniels added 10 points, all in the first half, for the Raiders (23-11), who won their 15th straight game, the third-longest active win streak in the nation.

Greg Summers had 18 points and eight rebounds, Tyler Nelson added 11 points and John Carter Jr. 10 for the Midshipmen (21-11), who were playing in their first league championship game since 2001.

Colgate led 40-22 at halftime and seemed to have the game well in hand, leading by 22 midway through the second half when Navy went on a 16-0 run led by seven points from Sean Yoder to get within six with six minutes remaining. While the Midshipmen were shooting 5 of 7 the Raiders missed five straight shots and had three turnovers.

Colgate responded by outscoring Navy — which then had its own spate of turnovers plus five straight misses — 14-4 over the the final six minutes.

Gonzaga: 2021-22 West Coast Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — Chet Holmgren spent most of his night frustrated as he got banged around and shots clanged away. Drew Timme, except for a spurt early in the second half, found little room to pull off his variety of drop steps and up-and-unders.

Gonzaga still found a way to pick apart one of the nation's toughest defenses and win another West Coast Conference title.

These Zags are deep, dangerous and may be poised for another extended March run.

Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Rasir Bolton added 18 and top-ranked Gonzaga outlasted No. 17 Saint Mary's 82-69 Tuesday night to win its eighth WCC tournament title in nine years.

"Their offense is as good as any in the country," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. "There's a lot of things you have to do right to have a chance and we did that for a while, but you have to do it for 40 minutes."

Gonzaga (26-3) spent a good portion of its 25th straight WCC title game trying to shake the gritty Gaels. The Zags had a hard time getting out in transition, had to work through multiple options to get decent looks and found passing lanes clogged with Gaels.

None of it slowed them down.

Gonzaga shot 58% and hit nine straight shots during a stretch in the second half to pull away after Saint Mary's had cut the lead to two. Nembhard and Bolton led the way, combining for 17 straight points to all but lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the Zags.

"We had to dig very, very deep," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "We called on everybody and everybody delivered. That's what makes it so special."

The Gaels (25-7) managed to slow the game's pace to its liking, preventing the Zags from getting out in transition for easy baskets. Gonzaga still found a way to outscore Saint Mary's, making 16 of 23 shots in the second half to win its 20th WCC tournament title.

Logan Johnson led Saint Mary's with 21 points and Tommy Kuhse added 15.

"It was a closer game than the difference," Bennett said. "I didn't think we played bad. They're good and we didn't defend well enough. You can't do that against them."

The Zags and Gaels have turned the WCC tournament into a running off-Strip show since it moved to Las Vegas in 2009. The teams have met nine times in the title game at Orleans Arena and one or the other has won the championship every year. The Zags have 10 titles over the 13-year run, the Gaels three (the last in 2019).

The rivals split during the regular season: Gonzaga ran roughshod over Saint Mary's in Spokane, Washington, and the Gaels bullied the Zags for a 10-point win in Moraga, California.

The go-round with a title on the line started as a defensive slog, both teams putting up difficult shots and making sloppy mistakes against the pressure. But Gonzaga revved up its smooth-moving machine midway through the first half, going on a 15-4 run to go up 29-18.

The Gaels made a short push, but the Zags pushed back for a 38-28 halftime lead. And they did it with Timme and Holmgren combining for four points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Saint Mary's bogged the game down again to start the second half, turning it into a half-court duel. The Gaels won the efficiency battle, methodically working for good shots to cut Gonzaga's lead to 52-50 midway through.

Gonzaga found the right gear again after that, hitting nine straight shots to push the lead to 71-59. Nembhard had 10 points and Bolton seven during the run.

Saint Mary's had no answer this time.

"Rasir started it off and shots opened up for us down the stretch," said Nembhard, who also had seven assists and two steals. "We knew guys had confidence in us to take them and we have confidence in ourselves."

BIG PICTURE

Saint Mary's: Played at the pace it wanted to and shot the ball decently, yet couldn't keep up with the Zags. A disappointing loss, but the Gaels should be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament after missing the bracket last season.

Gonzaga: Had to grind it out at times, but still shot 58% and went 8 for 16 from 3. The Zags also showed off their depth, getting 53 combined points from Nembhard, Bolton and Julian Strawther.

UP NEXT

Saint Mary's: Is headed to the NCAA Tournament, likely as a middle seed.

Gonzaga: Should get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, possibly No. 1 overall.

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South Dakota State: 2021-22 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- — Douglas Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds and South Dakota State beat North Dakota State 73-69 on Tuesday night to win the Summit League tournament and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

South Dakota State (30-4) added to the program's single-season record for wins. The Jackrabbits, who became the first team in Summit League history to go undefeated in conference play, have won 21 game in a row — the longest active streak in Division I.

North Dakota State (23-9) trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and didn't take its first lead until Sam Griesel hit a 3-pointer with 3:05 left to put the Bison up 61-60. Charlie Easley answered with a jumper for the Jackrabbits 16 seconds later, Baylor Scheierman followed with 3 to make it 65-61 with 1:54 left and SDSU made 8 of 10 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal it.

Easley had 15 points, Zeke Mayo scored 12 and Scheierman 11 for South Dakota State.

Griesel made 10 of 16 from the field and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Bison. Jarius Cook scored 13 points and Grant Nelson 11.

Either the Jackrabbits or North Dakota State has played in each of the last 11 Summit League title games. SDSU has won six championships, including finals wins over the Bison in 2013, 2016 and 2022. NDSU beat South Dakota State for the 2015 crown, one of its four in that span.

Bryant: 2021-22 Northeast Men's Basketball Champions

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- — Peter Kiss had 34 points and a season-high five steals and top-seeded Bryant cruised to 70-43 win over Wagner on Tuesday night for the first Northeast Conference tournament championship in program history.

But the game was marred by a fight in the stands among fans. With 4:37 to play and the Bulldogs leading 68-32, play stopped for nearly 30 minutes. A small section of seats mostly occupied by Wagner fans sat next to Bryant's student's section and the contentious atmosphere led to a scuffle. None of the players or coaches made it into the stands, though Wagner's Will Martinez attempted to and was ejected from the game and several players had to be restrained.

Bryant (22-9) set the Division I program record for wins this season and clinched its first NCAA Tournament berth since beginning the transition from Division II in 2008.

Kiss, the nation's leading scorer at 24.7 per game, made 13 of 23 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range and finished with six rebounds, three assists and five steals. The senior has scored at least 25 points in 13 of his last 17 games and has scored at least 30 points 10 times this season.

Raekwon Rogers led No. 2 seed Wagner (21-6) with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The rest of the Seahawks shot 22% (11 of 50) from the field. Alex Morales, who averages 18.2 points per game and was recently named the NEC player of the year for the second consecutive season, scored three points on 0-of-16 shooting for Wagner.

Charles Pride had 13 points and career-high tying 17 rebounds for Bryant.

Kiss had a shot knocked away by Morales and then Rogers made a layup to give the Seahawks a 2-0 lead 38 seconds in but Bryant ripped off 36 of the next 40 points. Pride made back-to-back layups to give the Bulldogs the lead for good about 2 minutes later before Kiss took over — muscling up shots in the lane, hitting contested 3s, throwing and catching alley-oops.

Kiss scored 17 points in 11 1/2 minutes to make it 36-6 after he took a steal the other way for a two-hand dunk with 4:44 left in the first half.

Delaware: 2021-22 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

WASHINGTON -- — Jyare Davis scored 18 points, Andrew Carr had 17 points and 12 rebounds for his second career double-double and fifth-seeded Delaware beat No. 2 seed UNC Wilmington 59-55 on Tuesday night to claim the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship.

Delaware (22-12) won its sixth conference tournament title, along with the teams from 1992 (NAC), 1993 (NAC), 1998 (America East), 1999 (America East) and 2014 (CAA). The Hens will be looking for their first NCAA Tournament victory in six tries.

Delaware took its first lead, 44-43, since 19-7 on a Kevin Anderson layup with 8:44 remaining in the second half.

Davis, the CAA rookie of the year and tournament MVP, made a shot in the lane with 1:01 left to give Delaware a 56-55 lead. UNCW had two shots at the other end, but neither fell and Carr collected the rebound before getting fouled. Carr went 1 of 2 at the free throw line, but Ebby Asamoah grabbed the offensive rebound and made two free throws for a four-point lead. Jaylen Sims was short on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Jameer Nelson Jr. and Ryan Allen each added 10 points for Delaware, which shot 39.3% including 2 of 13 from distance. Davis was 8 of 15 from the field.

Sims scored 18 points on 4-of-15 shooting for UNC Wilmington (23-9), which swept the regular-season series with Delaware. Mike Okauru added 10 points.

Sims, UNCW's leading scorer, only played 10 minutes in the first half due to two fouls but the Seahawks still led 34-30. Sims opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer, and he scored six straight UNCW points, the last coming on a jumper for a 55-53 lead with 2:30 left.

Delaware was just the second No. 5 seed to advance to the CAA tournament final in the league's 40 years. Fifth-seeded William & Mary advanced to the 2008 final before falling to third-seeded George Mason, 68-59.

Wright State: 2021-22 Horizon Men's Basketball Champions

INDIANAPOLIS -- Wright State rallied from 16 points down to win the Horizon League Tournament championship game Tuesday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

Trey Calvin’s jumper in the lane with 10.5 seconds left won the game for the Raiders, who are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time.

Northern Kentucky’s Bryson Langdon had a chance to win it for NKU, but his jumper was off and the Raiders were able to celebrate a 72-71 triumph.

Calvin scored 21 points for Wright State while Tanner Holden had 19 and Grant Basile scored 18.

Marques Warrick led all scorers with 28 points for NKU, which led 57-41 with 11:41 to go.

“We never gave up,” Wright State forward Grant Basile said. “Our thing the last few games is to stay level-headed, and that’s what we did tonight. Trey made such a big shot. That was such a good play. We have some really good basketball players and we love each other, so sharing the ball like that just makes it so much easier.”

Here are three takeaways from the Raiders’ win:

1. The third-seeded Norse started red hot, hitting 12 of their first 15 shots.

It helped that they were able to get almost wherever they wanted to on the floor and finished with 22 points in the paint in the first half.

2. Tanner Holden and Grant Basile got going with about 12 minutes to go.

Holden started a 14-0 run that got Wright State back in the game by hitting a pair of free throws with 11:34 on the clock.

He had seven points in the spurt and set up Basile for a three-point play. Basile then capped it by finding Andrew Welage for a layup that made it 57-55 NKU with 8:35 to go.

3. Wright State won a conference tournament for the fourth time.

The Raiders also qualified for the Big Dance in 1993 (when they were in the Mid-Continent Conference), 2007 and 2018. They are still looking for their first NCAA Tournament win in Division I.

Star of the game

Trey Calvin not only made the winning basket but kept the Raiders in the game in the first half. He had 15 points in the firsts 20 minutes while the rests of the Raiders had 17.

Stat of the game

Both teams shot exactly 60.9 percent in one half.

For the Norse, it was the first 20 minutes when they were 14 for 23. For the Raiders, it was the second half when they made 14 of 23.

Bellarmine: 2021-22 Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Champions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- CJ Fleming scored a career-high 27 points, Dylan Penn added 22 and Division I newcomer Bellarmine defeated Jacksonville 77-72 in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament final on Tuesday, handing the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament to regular-season champion Jacksonville State.

Bellarmine is not eligible for the NCAA tournament as it is in the second of a four-year transition to Division I. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the Louisville, Kentucky-based school is the first men's team in the past 25 seasons to win its conference tournament while being ineligible for postseason play.

Instead, the Knights became heroes in Jacksonville, Alabama. Top-seeded Jacksonville State fell at home 54-51 to the Jacksonville Dolphins on Saturday, but since Bellarmine is ineligible for the NCAA tournament, the Gamecocks will go dancing.

"We've made it a point to control what we can control, and that's it," Bellarmine senior guard Juston Betz said. "We'll continue to be in the moment and never take for granted where we are."

Bellarmine, a recent Division II power and 2011 champion, defeated Liberty, the other ASUN division champion, 53-50 on the road on Saturday. Jacksonville, which joined the ASUN in 1998, was seeking its first league championship and first NCAA berth in 36 years.

Including its Division II history, this marks Bellarmine's 13th 20-win campaign in the past 14 seasons.

"It's kind of surreal," said Penn, who was named tournament MVP. "It feels like we're in a movie. We weren't supposed to be competing at such a high level this early."

The Knights (20-13) made 11 of 12 free throws in the last two minutes with Fleming perfect on eight, to hold off Jacksonville, which made 5 of 8 field goals, two of them 3s, down the stretch.

Jordan Davis scored 22 points for the Dolphins (21-10), who lost the only regular-season meeting 76-73 in overtime in the same building, and Osayi Osifo and Tyreese Davis had 11 each.

Penn, Betz and Curt Hopf hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Bellarmine a 9-4 lead, and Sam DeVault added back-to-back triples as the Knights started red-hot. Penn's layup midway through the first half made it 28-10 with the Knights going 10-of-14, seven of the baskets behind the arc.

Jacksonville battled back to get within 36-26 at the half, despite going 0-of-10 from 3-point range compared to 9-of-16 for Bellarmine.

The Dolphins hit six 3s in the second half and shot 50% but could get no closer than six.

The Knights finished shooting 50% overall and were 12-of-25 from 3-point range and 15-of-17 from the foul line.

"I don't know how any coach at any level of any sport could be more proud than I am," Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport said. "My highlight of this journey is seeing this team celebrate each other. That locker room was one of the highlights of my life."