Cincinnati: 2018-19 American Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- With conference player of the year Jarron Cumberland running the show, No. 24 Cincinnati pulled away to win its second American Athletic Conference Tournament.

Cumberland had 33 points and eight rebounds as No. 24 Cincinnati won its second straight AAC tournament title, defeating No. 11 Houston 69-57 on Sunday.

"Jarron was off the charts," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said, later adding: "Jarron is superhuman."

Cane Broome finished with 15 points and Tre Scott added 12 for Cincinnati (28-6), who had lost to Houston twice during the regular season, including 85-69 March 10 at Cincinnati. This time was different as the Bearcats shut down Houston's offense.

"We've had three terrific games with Cincinnati, at our place, at their place and (Sunday)," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Obviously, that's a difficult team to beat three times, especially over the course of five or six weeks.

"Watching how they played today, you can see how well we played the other two times when we beat them."

In the second half, Houston shot a mere 27.8 percent, including making 3 of 18 from 3-point range. That provided Cincinnati, the tournament's No. 2 seed, the opportunity to build a double-digit lead -- a margin that reached 15 three times in the final seven minutes.

Sampson said he could tell Cronin had the Bearcats "really ready to play. You could tell they had a little bit of an ax to grind."

Cronin had noted after Cincinnati's semifinal win over Wichita State that the Bearcats rarely lose to a team three times in a season -- another point of motivation for his team, along with holding the tournament trophy.

After Sunday's victory, the Cincinnati coach said the championship win gives his team a hint of the things necessary if they are to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and with an emphasis on the thin margin between winning and losing.

"You've got to be hard to beat," Cronin said. "You can't (miss) layups. You've got to block out. You can't make dumb fouls and you try to maximize your potential on offense."

Armoni Brooks led Houston (31-3) with 17 points and Corey Davis added 12 for the Cougars, who were the tournament's top seed.

While the Bearcat defense stifled Houston shooting in the second half, Cincinnati put the ball in the hands of Cumberland, voted the tournament's most valuable player, and he responded with 20 second-half points. Cumberland made 7 of 14 shots after halftime and also was 6 of 9 from the free throw line.

"Cumberland hit some tough shots," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "He hit some really, really tough shots."

Houston got in trouble early in the second half when two quick fouls sent forward Breaon Brady to the bench with four fouls. About the same time, Fabian White went to the bench holding his right wrist.

At that point, the Bearcats were taking the lead to 15 points and really weren't threatened the rest of the way.

"We would have liked to have won," Sampson said, later adding: "I'm not going to spend two minutes thinking about this game. I'm just excited about what's coming up."

BIG PICTURE

Cincinnati: Cumberland, who was limited to only 11 points in a semifinal win over Wichita State, had surpassed that at halftime with 13 but was still struggling from the field. After halftime, he took over the game as the Bearcats extended the lead.

Houston: The Cougars suffered through 35 percent shooting in the first half. Brooks made five of the nine Houston field goals in the half. But things got worse after halftime as Houston had trouble converting shots and could never really cut into the Cincinnati lead. Injuries and foul trouble only made things worse

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: The Bearcats are a seventh seed in the South Region and play Iowa, the region's No. 10 seed on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

Houston: Earned a third seed in the Midwest Region and will play Friday against No. 14 seed Georgia State.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Auburn: 2018-19 Southeastern Men's Basketball Champions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Auburn Tigers are taking home their first Southeastern Conference Tournament championship since 1985 and aren't satisfied.

Not with the NCAA Tournament up next.

Bryce Brown scored 19 points, and Auburn won the SEC Tournament title by routing eighth-ranked Tennessee 84-64 on Sunday.

"We still have a lot more to prove, a lot more to accomplish as a team," said Brown, a senior guard who hadn't won an SEC Tournament game before this week.

No. 22 Auburn (26-9) hadn't even played for the title since 2000, and the fifth-seeded Tigers won their fourth game in as many days to capture only the second SEC Tournament championship in program history. The Tigers now have won eight straight and 10 of their last 11 heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Better yet, Auburn and coach Bruce Pearl have become the nemesis to his old program, beating Tennessee three straight times. Auburn ruined Tennessee's hopes of winning back-to-back SEC regular-season titles for the first time with an 84-80 win to wrap up the season a week ago, and the Tigers also are the last team to beat Tennessee in Knoxville.

Now Pearl has his first SEC Tournament title at the expense of the first team he coached in the league.

"I get no greater pleasure in beating Tennessee for this SEC championship because I spent so many wonderful years as a Tennessee Vol," Pearl said. "Got great respect for their fans and program, their tradition in basketball."

On the court, Pearl thanked SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey for forgiving him and letting him return to the league as a coach. Pearl was still under an NCAA show cause penalty when Auburn hired him in 2014 for violations committed when he was at Tennessee. He was fired in 2011 for lying to NCAA investigators about a cookout he held for recruits.

"I hope the SEC's better with me in it," Pearl said.

Tennessee (29-5) likely cost itself any chance at the program's first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Vols will have to win their first-round game to reach 30 victories for only the second time in school history.

"Now it's time to play for the big one," Tennessee senior Admiral Schofield said after being held to a season-low four points.

Chuma Okeke scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds for Auburn, and Danjel Purifoy added 10. Junior guard Jared Harper, Auburn's second-leading scorer, went 1 for 11 and had nine points.

Lamonte' Turner led Tennessee with 24 points. Grant Williams, the two-time SEC player of the year, was held to 13. Jordan Bone had 11 and Jordan Bowden scored 10.

Tennessee struggled to bounce back after an emotional win over No. 4 Kentucky in the semifinals. Coach Rick Barnes said he told his assistants the Vols looked a little drained at the start.

"We just came out with no energy," Williams said. "We came out like we expected things to happen. It's hard to bounce back from that, especially how Auburn plays, how explosive they can be, especially when they start making shots."

The Tigers also became only the third team this season to lead Tennessee by double digits. Tennessee led 17-13 with 11:09 left on a pull-up jumper by Jordan Bowden. Then the Vols went cold, making only two buckets the rest of the half.

Auburn heated up with the Tigers' defense helping them turn the Vols over and over. The Tigers scored 16 straight points in a run that featured a pair of 3s from Brown. A free throw by Horace Spencer capped the spurt with 3:58 left and a 31-18 advantage. Auburn led 32-23 at halftime.

The team that just set the SEC record for 3s made in a season hit 6 of 12 outside the arc to push that lead further. By the time Austin Wiley finished off a three-point play with 11:22 to go, the Tigers led 56-34.

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: The Tigers get so much attention for how they shoot 3s, but they also are fifth in the nation in steals per game. They came up with 14 steals in forcing 17 turnovers and had a 21-11 scoring edge off turnovers. ... The Tigers also got the most minutes yet from Wiley, coming off an injured lower right leg. He missed five games, including the Tigers' tournament-opening win over Missouri.

Tennessee: The Vols had not lost a rematch in the regular season, going 5-0 in such games in each of the past two seasons. This game came a week after the Vols lost at Auburn. The Vols' drought without a SEC tourney title, last won in 1979, will stretch to at least 41 years.

BROWN'S BACK

Brown had struggled in the first half of games at this tournament and said after Auburn's win over Florida in the semifinals that he knew he would have to start faster in the championship game. The senior guard did just that. He was 4-of-8 shooting with 11 points, and Auburn needed his production with Harper limited to two minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.

QUOTABLE

"The fact is we weren't very good," Barnes said.

UP NEXT

Auburn is cruising into its second straight NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee makes its second straight NCAA Tournament.

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Follow Teresa M. Walker at https://twitter.com/TeresaMWalker

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

ISML 2018: Victory Speech - Rem Natsuki, 2019 Saimoe Prime Minister

Well, I will go ahead and start my remarks by letting you all in on a not-so-well-kept secret, in fact, it's not even close to it and even makes mock of it: I outdid Emilia. (laughter) No, seriously, everyone, I did outperform Emilia and she is, as a consequence, the first person I will thank. She blazed a path for me and she also won her last contest so our party and that of Oregairu's and Hachiman are the big winners this election, so congratulations for Hachiman and Violet for winning their seats. Together, we will lead the Saimoe movement and represent the best of our great nation around the world because we love doing that. (applause)

I also want to point out that several days ago, it was my birthday, as well as that of my good friend Aoba Suzukaze. She has been a great advocate of my legacy and I want to thank her for her support. My sister Ram is owed my thanks. Without her, I wouldn't be here. But most of all, Subaru Natsuki, of whose last name I will borrow as Saimoe Prime Minister—but please, just call me Rem—is the one person that believed I could be a leader like no other. It was his inspiration that drove me to be a better person. I love him with everything I have, and he accepted the invitation to be the first gentleman of Saimoe for this coming year, so he gets to work with Hachiman on helping make Japan great again as a strong economic influence on the world. Mostly, to ensure that good men will always prevail, and they need not be Japanese. (laughter, applause) You laugh, but you know very well, that as your leader-elect, I am not wrong in my convictions. (laughter)

But it is because of you, I remembered who I am and I maintained my promise to pay you back for your belief in me. The best I can do to repay you...is to do my work as Saimoe Prime Minister to the best of my ability. This isn't a Royal Election I was a part of. This was bigger than me, Emilia, my sister...it encompassed so much and it was a struggle. But I told myself to be positive, be assertive, be aggressive in what I want to become, because if I do that, fate will take care of the rest. It is because of you, I am here as your Saimoe Prime Minister, and I will not let you down. You, my wonderful fans and even those who supported Kamui—and just wanted to add, I called Kamui on a great race and she happily conceded so now she can go ahead and bully Tooru anytime she wants (laughter)—no, but seriously, those who supported Kamui and others, I extend my hand of solidarity and ask for your help and cooperation in leading our movement forward.

I cannot do this alone, and I won't. We, the members of Saimoe, the finest people you will ever be one with anywhere, need you to be with us and support us. I am just one person, Hachiman is another, Violet is another...we need you to stand with us in this year of transition. We will be having a new emperor take over when I am sworn in with Hachiman and Violet. We need you to show your support for the future Emperor, Naruhito, and his vision for the Japanese nation going forward.

Also, I have believed that the promotion of time-honored Asian values can be applied anywhere. What are those, you say? It's four parts: social harmony, socio-economic prosperty and collective well-being of community, loyalty and respect for elders and authority, and a preference for collectivism and communitarianism. Basically, it's putting the team and the world above you. No man or woman is above the law, not even me, I merely enforce and promote it.

But it's not rocket science, ladies and gentlemen. Respect your parents. Your mother, your father, your grandparents, uncles and aunts...these are important parts of your life, your family. Do what you can to make them proud of you. Your siblings, your children, make them happy as well. And take the advice of those who have been in this world longer than you in stride. Violet has done a remarkable job immortalizing the stories of great people in writing for all to read and she is just getting started. She will write your story too, all you have to do is ask. Never be headstrong in a decision. Make sure the team is on board.

And this is what we do during meetings of our Diet, the Saimoe Parliament. We are an all-star team with unselfish minds when we need to go in one direction or another. We are not like that government in the West where two factions continually fail to make progress due to pride and selfishness and pettiness. We make decisions regarding new ways to promote our culture to satisfy the demands of the West and elsewhere. And those who don't get their way ultimately come around and support the consensus. That is the power of the collective aspect of Asian values, and I mean to promote it and encourage it as values that the world can adopt.

I want to close my address by saying that it will not be easy for us moving forward. Mikoto Misaka is the incumbent Saimoe Leader of the Free World and my personal adviser to all matters related to the finest people-us. She said this: "No matter what, you’re not defective. There’s nothing wrong with you, so don’t give up.” Motivate yourself to be at your best. Self-actualization leads to positive thinking and assertive confidence. And we will make it a lifelong commitment to serve you and motivate you to be successful in whatever, or whoever, you want to be as long as it makes your family, your community, your city, your country, and the world proud. So thank you, we salute you and honor you. May God bless you, and may God bless Japan and the world!

-Rem (a.k.a. Rem Natsuki)

2019 Saimoe Prime Minister/ISML Heavenly Tiara Champion

11 February 2019

Cincinnati: 2018 Military Bowl Champions

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Racing back and forth on a drenched field, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech put up some lofty numbers as the rain came down in the Military Bowl.

Michael Warren found his footing when it mattered most, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:29 left for the Bearcats, whose 35-31 victory Monday ended Virginia Tech's run of 25 consecutive winning seasons.

Warren ran for a career-high 166 yards, including an 8-yard burst up the middle to cap a frantic five-play, 64-yard drive in which he had 54 yards rushing.

That was enough to decide a tight game that featured 905 yards in offense and seven lead changes.

"The O-line did a great job of getting the push, especially at the end," said Warren, voted the game's MVP. "When you keep running the ball and wearing the other team down, they're not going to want to see any more of that."

The Bearcats' offense got a big assist from backup quarterback Hayden Moore, a senior who made 12 starts last year. After throwing only 26 passes in 2018, Moore entered in the first quarter and completed 11 of 25 throws for 120 yards in addition to running for a 19-yard score.

The victory gave Cincinnati (11-2) its third 11-win season in the 131-year history of the program following two straight 4-8 finishes.

"We learned a lot from the failures from last year and even from the failures we had throughout January, February and March," second-year coach Luke Fickell said.

Playing in a bowl game for the 26th successive year -- the longest current run in the nation -- Virginia Tech needed a victory to avoid its first losing season since 1992. Ryan Willis threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, but it wasn't enough to put an upbeat finish on an unsatisfying season for the Hokies (6-7).

"It stings. It's disappointing," said Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, a member of the coaching staff since 1987. "I'm proud of the consistency and how we have played over the years. We've got a young group of men, and some of them need to realize what it takes to perform and play at this level."

A touchdown run by Moore put the Bearcats up 28-24 with 12:44 left, and two minutes later Willis ran it in from the 5 to give Virginia Tech its last lead. The Hokies had a chance to extend the margin with just under nine minutes left but failed on a fourth-and-1 at the Cincinnati 3.

"We had an opportunity to go up by two scores but we didn't," Foster said. "And then we didn't respond defensively. That's kind of how we've been this year, kind of up and down that way."

Ridder hurt his right leg after being tripped up out of the pocket during the Bearcats' second series. The American Athletic Conference rookie of the year went 4 for 7 for 86 yards and a touchdown before leaving.

Moore picked up the slack.

"I knew this opportunity was coming sometime in the year," Moore said. "I didn't blink an eye. I just went and grabbed my helmet."

After a back-and-forth first half that ended 14-all, Virginia Tech moved 69 yards to open the third quarter before Brian Johnson kicked a field goal for a 17-14 lead. After Warren put the Bearcats in front with a 40-yard touchdown run, Willis threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cunningham to make it 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

WET BALL

The Bearcats fumbled three times and recovered all of them, including a touchdown by Kahlil Lewis on a ball Warren lost at the Virginia Tech 1.

"It wasn't the cleanest (win) obviously," Fickell said. "Look at the weather."

THE TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: The Bearcats are on the rise under Fickell, who can expect to accompany Cincinnati to more bowls in the years ahead.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were way too inconsistent in a season that ended on a very disappointing note. Virginia Tech was 13th in the country in September and now must rebound from its first losing season in more than a quarter of a century.

Still, coach Justin Fuente had no complaints about his team's effort in this one.

"They laid it on the line today," Fuente said. "We had guys that wanted to finish this thing off the right way."

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: The Bearcats have 81 underclassmen but must replace 13 seniors, including Lewis, a three-year starter.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies lose rushing leader Steven Peoples and second-team All-ACC DT Ricky Walker, who led the team with 10 1/2 tackles for a loss during the regular season.

Alabama: 2018 Orange Bowl Champions

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- This season's Alabama juggernaut has yet to be stopped, and Oklahoma's shaky defense sure wasn't going to get in the way.

Maybe Clemson can.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns and No. 1-ranked Alabama beat No. 4 Oklahoma 45-34 on Saturday night in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl .

The high-scoring Sooners reached the semifinal despite a porous defense that was no match for Alabama's diverse attack, and the defending champion Crimson Tide led 28-0 after only 17 minutes.

Alabama (14-0) advanced to the national championship game for the fourth consecutive season and will play Jan. 7 in Santa Clara, California against familiar foe Clemson, which beat Notre Dame 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl. The Tigers, ranked No. 2, and Alabama will face off in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, and have split two title games.

"They've got a great program and a great team," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "I'm sure it'll be a great challenge for us, and I'm sure we'll need to play better than we did today."

Saban spiked his headset during one of his several sideline tirades. He lobbed oranges during the postgame celebration.

"It was more fun throwing the oranges," he said.

Tagovailoa's performance argued for a Florida recount in the Heisman Trophy vote. He finished as the runner-up to Oklahoma's Kyler Murray but won sweet consolation by completing 24 of 27 passes, with scores to four receivers.

"It's always good to see your hard work pay off," said Tagovailoa, who played on a sore left ankle. His completion percentage was an Orange Bowl record.

While Tagovailoa connected on his first nine passes for 184 yards, Murray was sacked twice before he threw a pass, and his first completion came with his team already down 21-0.

"The slow start got us beat," Murray said. "It's tough to come back from that."

Murray had one brilliant moment, a perfect deep throw on the move to Charleston Rambo in the end zone for a 49-yard score. He passed for 308 yards and ran for 109 but took several jarring hits, including when All-America nose guard Quinnen Williams dislodged his helmet and forced him from the game for one play in the fourth quarter.

The Sooners (12-2) came up short in a bid for their first national title since the 2000 season.

"Agonizingly close," coach Lincoln Riley said.

His team was bowled over, on one play in particular. When Robert Barnes tried to stop Josh Jacobs in the open field, the Alabama running back lowered his head for the collision and continued to the end zone for a 27-yard score while the Sooners safety spun to the turf, dazed and briefly unable to get up.

"When I saw an opportunity to score, I just tried my best to score," Jacobs said with a chuckle.

Alabama had the ball for more than 36 minutes and totaled 528 yards.

"Our offense really controlled the tempo of the game," Saban said. "The only time we really got stopped in the game is when we stopped ourselves."

In a matchup between the two highest-scoring offenses in the country, Oklahoma fell too far behind early.

On the first snap, DeVonta Smith turned Tagovailoa's short pass into a 50-yard gain. The Crimson Tide went on to score an Orange Bowl-record 21 points in the opening quarter.

"It's not the result we wanted or expected," Riley said. "We had a hard time breaking their string of momentum. We dug ourselves too big a hole."

At one point the disparity in yards was 191-0. The most noise the Sooners mustered in the early going was when linebacker Kenneth Murray talked trash with the Alabama bench -- with his team trailing by three touchdowns.

The Sooners rallied and closed to within 11 points three times in the final 18 minutes. But two onside kicks failed, and Alabama ran the final 4:23 off the clock after Oklahoma's last score.

QUICK START

Alabama took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards for a touchdown. Oklahoma was awarded a fumble recovery at the 1, but officials overturned the ruling following a replay review, and Damien Harris scored on the next play.

The Sooners' first three plays lost 6 yards, forcing a punt, and eight plays later Tagovailoa hit Henry Ruggs III with a 10-yard touchdown pass.

Tagovailoa threw deep to Jerry Jeudy for 40 yards to set up the Crimson Tide's third score, and Jacobs' catch and run for a touchdown made it 28-0.

INJURY REPORT

Tide linebacker Christian Miller limped to the locker room in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury. An MRI was planned, and his availability for the title game was uncertain, Saban said.

TAKEAWAYS

The Crimson Tide need one more win for their sixth national title in the past decade. They have a chance to finish 15-0, which hasn't been done at the top level of college football since Penn went 15-0 in 1897.

Saban moved closer to his seventh national title, which would break the record he shares with the Crimson Tide's Bear Bryant.

UP NEXT

Alabama seeks its second consecutive title when it plays Clemson for the fourth postseason in a row. The Crimson Tide won 24-6 in the semifinal a year ago, and 45-40 in the title game for the 2016 season. Clemson beat Alabama for the championship 35-31 two years ago.

The Sooners will begin another bid for their first national title since 2000 when they open the 2019 season at home against Houston on Aug. 31.

Real Madrid: 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Champions

Real Madrid capped off another memorable year by claiming a third successive FIFA Club World Cup title, defeating host team Al Ain 4-1 at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City Stadium.

The Best FIFA Men's Player 2018 Luka Modric opened the scoring on 14 minutes for the UEFA Champions League winners, before Marcos Llorente doubled the advantage on the hour-mark.

Skipper Sergio Ramos then made it three on 79 minutes as Los Blancos secured their fourth Club World Cup crown, with an own goal - after strong work from Vinicius Jr. - reaffirming Real's three-goal lead after a superb header from Tsukasa Shiotani.

Los Blancos applied early pressure but they nearly went a goal down when Hussein Elshahat latched onto the end of Marcelo's misplaced header and cut into the area before getting his shot off - only to be denied by a stunning block from skipper Sergio Ramos.

Just one minute later, though, the holders were in front when Karim Benzema played the ball back to Luka Modric on the edge of the 'D' and the Croatia star curled the ball into the bottom corner. Moments after Real were celebrating their opener, Al Ain had the ball in the back of the net but Caio's effort was flagged for offside.

Santiago Solari's side doubled their lead on the hour mark when the ball fell to Marcos Llorente after a corner, and goalkeeper Khalid Eisa was powerless to stop the midfielder's stunning strike from finding the bottom corner.

Sergio Ramos recorded Real's third, powering a header past Eisa after a corner, before Shiotani headed a consolation goal for the host team after Caio's free-kick. Yahia Nader then turned Vinicius Jr's effort into his own net in injury-time, rounding off a superb win.

The result means Real add to their 2014, 2016 and 2017 Club World Cup titles, while manager Solari claimed his first trophy as Los Blancos boss.

Alibaba Cloud Match Award​ winner: Marcos Llorente (Real Madrid) 

North Texas: 2018 College Basketball Invitational Champions

DENTON, Texas -- Roosevelt Smart has led North Texas all season, so it was no surprise that he was the most valuable player in the deciding Game 3 of the College Basketball Invitational finals.

Smart, a sophomore who set UNT records for points and 3-point field goals this season, scored 25 points and made all 14 of his free throws in an 88-77 win over San Francisco on Friday night. The Mean Green were 32 for 43 from the line.

Smart said the free-throw success was no accident.

"Practice, really," he said. "After practice, we do this free-throw drill and got to make free throws."

The Mean Green trailed only once in the first half. They didn't panic when USF pulled within a point at 52-51 with 9:33 to play.

"We calmed down," UNT's A.J. Lawson said. "The season showed that we matured over time. In that situation, we could close a game just by calming down, passing the ball and hitting the open guy. Nobody tried to do anything spectacular and be a superhero."

First-year North Texas coach Grant McCasland called a timeout and set up a play for an unlikely player, Michael Miller.

"Mike was playing limited to no minutes at times, and all of sudden he steps in and makes some of the biggest shots," McCasland said. "I drew up a play for Mike. He went and caught it and got the basket."

Four of Smart's points came during an 8-1 run in the second half after USF rallied within 52-51. Smart made two free throws and then added two more when San Francisco coach Kyle Smith drew a technical foul.

"He loves to play, and he's a fantastic teammate," McCasland said.

The Mean Green lost the opener in the best-of-three matchup but won 69-55 Wednesday to set up the championship game.

They had lost seven of eight games before receiving their CBI bid.

The players, who had been planning for their spring break, won five of six in the tournament.

Frankie Ferrari led the Dons (22-17) with 19 points. Nate Renfro added 18 and Chase Foster had 12.

North Texas led 45-31 before USF began its comeback. Ferrari started the 20-7 run with two of his five 3-pointers in 11 attempts.

Jorden Duffy scored 14 points and Lawson and Miller each had 12 for UNT.

San Francisco played without center Matt McCarthy, who was injured in Game 2. In his place, Nick Loew and Jimbo Lull totaled eight points and eight rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

San Francisco: The Dons won their home game in the finals but lost both games at UNT. They stayed in the final game by making 12 3-pointers, bringing their season total to 333.


North Texas: The Mean Green had their first winning season since 2011-12. Their 20 wins were 12 more than a year ago. UNT had six 3-pointers for a season total of 302.

COULD RUSSELL BLOCK GREENE?

North Texas fans channeled the most famous athlete in each school's history with a sign that read, "Mean Joe Greene would have dunked on Bill Russell."

20-20 VISION

San Francisco has won 20-plus games in each of Smith's two seasons, and North Texas won 20 in McCasland's first season.

UP NEXT

San Francisco has had consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 1982. A third wouldn't be a stretch. Foster is one of only two Dons seniors.

North Texas also has only two seniors. "All the guys that played in this tournament, we return everybody," McCasland said. The CBI title could portend bigger things. The 2015 and 2016 champions, Loyola-Chicago and Nevada, reached at least the Sweet 16 in this season's NCAA tournament, with Loyola getting to the Final Four.

Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl LII Champions

MINNEAPOLIS -- As their delirious fans sang their theme song and their owner lifted the Lombardi Trophy, the Philadelphia Eagles finally could breathe freely.

Yo, Philly, you really did beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a thrilling Super Bowl that rewrote the offensive record book.

Nick Foles guided the drive of a lifetime, Zach Ertz made a bobbling touchdown catch that had to survive replay review, and an exhausted defense came up with two stands in the final moments Sunday for a 41-33 victory. For the first time since 1960, the Eagles are NFL champions.

"Fly Eagles Fly," indeed.

"We've played this game since we were little kids, we dreamed about this moment," game MVP Foles said. "There's plenty of kids watching this game right now dreaming about this moment and someday will be here."

In a record-setting shootout between backup QB Foles and five-time champ Brady of the favored Patriots, Foles led a pressure-packed 75-yard drive to the winning touchdown, 11 yards to Ertz with 2:21 to go .

Then Brandon Graham strip-sacked Brady and Derek Barnett recovered, setting up rookie Jake Elliot's 46-yard field goal for an 8-point lead.

Brady got his team to midfield, but his desperation pass fell to the ground in the end zone.

"For us, it was all about one stop we had to make. We went out here and made that one stop," Graham said.

The underdog Eagles (16-3), even injured starting quarterback Carson Wentz, came bolting off the sideline in ecstasy while Brady sat on the ground, disconsolate.

It was the first Super Bowl title for Philadelphia (16-3), which went from 7-9 last season.

"If there's a word (it's) called everything," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "That's what it means to Eagles fans everywhere. And for Eagles fans everywhere, this is for them."

Super Bowl MVP Foles orchestrated the victory with the kind of drive NFL MVP Brady, a five-time champion, is known for. The drive covered 14 plays, including a fourth-down conversion.

"I felt calm. I mean, we have such a great group of guys, such a great coaching staff," Foles said. "We felt confident coming in, and we just went out there and played football."

The Eagles had to survive a video replay because ball popped into the air as Ertz crossed the goal line.

"If they would have overturned that, I don't know what would have happened to the city of Philadelphia," Ertz said. "But I'm so glad they didn't overturn it."

The touchdown stood -- and so did thousands of green-clad Eagles fans who weren't going to mind the frigid conditions outside US Bank Stadium once they headed out to celebrate. But not before a rousing rendition of "Fly Eagles Fly" reverberated throughout the stands once the trophy was presented to Lurie. Later, fans danced along with the "Gonna Fly Now," the theme from "Rocky," the city's best-known fictional underdog.

The Patriots (15-4) seemed ready to take their sixth championship with Brady and coach Bill Belichick in eight Super Bowls. Brady threw for a postseason record 505 yards and three TDs, hitting Rob Gronkowski for 4 yards before Stephen Gostkowski's extra point gave New England its first lead, 33-32.

Then Foles made Eagles fans forget Wentz -- at least for now -- with the gutsiest drive of his life.

"We couldn't make a play to give the ball back to the offense," Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore said.

Foles has been something of a journeyman in his six pro seasons, but he has been spectacular in four career playoff games. He finished 28 of 43 for 373 yards and three TDs.

The combined 1,151 yards were the most in any modern NFL game. The 40-year-old Brady finished 28 of 48 and picked apart the Eagles until the final two series.

Brady indicated he will return for a 19th season even as Gronkowski was hedging on his future.

"I mean it's 15 minutes after the game ended, so I'd like to process this a little bit," Brady said. "I wouldn't see why I wouldn't be back."

Gronkowski, who has played eight superb but injury-riddled years, said "I am definitely going to look at my future."

It was such a wild game that Foles caught a touchdown pass , and Brady was on the opposite end of a Danny Amendola throw that went off his fingertips.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson brought home the championship in his second year in charge. Belichick is 5-3 in Super Bowls, most of them decided by less than a touchdown.

So this one was in keeping with that trend: breathtaking and even a bit bizarre.

Brady and the Patriots looked ready for another comeback by opening the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Gronkowski was unstoppable, grabbing four passes for 69 yards, including the 5-yard score.

Philly didn't flinch, answering with a precise 75-yard march with three more third-down conversions. The Eagles finished 10 for 16 on third. The last was a perfect pass by Foles to Corey Clement over double coverage, and the rookie's reception was upheld by review, putting the Eagles up 10.

Brady shrugged and, getting steadfast protection, connected with Chris Hogan from the 26 for another touchdown.

When all the Eagles could manage was Jake Elliott's 42-yarder for a 32-26 lead, it seemed inevitable the Patriots would go in front, then become the first repeat Super Bowl winner since they did it in the 2004 and `05 games.

Foles, Ertz, and -- at last -- a revitalized defense said otherwise.

The weird image of Brady ambling downfield on a pass pattern came three plays after New England lost receiver Brandin Cooks to a concussion on a vicious but clean hit by Malcolm Jenkins in the second quarter. Amendola's pass required an over-the-shoulder grab and the ball fell off Brady's outstretched hands.

Brady got back to passing after a wild interception. Alshon Jeffery nearly made a spectacular catch near the Patriots' goal line, only to juggle the ball into the air. Duron Harmon picked it off at the 10. Moments later, Brady was connecting with Chris Hogan for 42 yards.

James White broke several tackles with a brilliant 26-yard run and it was 15-12. That gave White seven touchdowns in his past three postseason games, including the overtime winner in last year's Super Bowl.

But the Eagles still had 2:04 left in the half -- and some more magic in their bag.

A short third-down throw Clement turned into a 55-yard gain to the Patriots 8. Philly got to the 1 and on fourth down, and it was Foles' turn to morph into a receiver.

He did better than Brady. On fourth down, Clement took a direct snap, pitched to tight end Trey Burton, and the former Florida QB hit an uncovered Foles. The Eagles were up 22-12 at halftime, the most points New England has allowed in the opening half of a Super Bowl under Belichick.

Each kicker had issues, with Elliott missing an extra point, his fifth miss this season. Then Gostkowski hit the left upright with a 26-yard field goal after holder Ryan Allen mishandled the snap. Gostkowski also missed an extra point.

When LeGarrette Blount, who won the title last season with the Patriots, scored on a 21-yard burst, Pederson went for 2, but the pass failed, making it 15-3.

The Eagles and Pederson brushed it off and stayed with their usual aggressive approach. Breathtakingly, it eventually paid off.