GREENVILLE, S.C. - It was almost a year ago when Mikiah Herbert Harrigan went to South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley saying she wasn't happy and wanted to transfer.
So after Herbert Harrigan, nicknamed "Mad Kiki," was honored as MVP of the Southeastern Conference tournament after the top-ranked Gamecocks' 76-62 victory over No. 9 Mississippi State on Sunday, Staley made sure to catch up with her senior star.
"I know you didn't envision this a few months ago," Staley said she told Herbert Harrigan. "She said, 'I didn't. But now I'm a believer.'"
The rest of the country should be, too.
Herbert Harrigan scored 15 points, and Brea Beal added 12 points and 11 rebounds as South Carolina (32-1) won its fifth SEC tournament title in six seasons. The Gamecocks swept the SEC's regular-season and postseason crowns for the first time since 2017, when they won the NCAA tournament by beating Mississippi State in the final.
Herbert Harrigan, a 6-foot-2 forward, was a reserve on that team and thought she might get lost among the Gamecocks' No. 1 recruiting class this season. Instead, Herbert Harrigan has led the way both with her play and her emotion.
She got into a scuffle with Mississippi State's Yemiah Morris and Jessika Carter in the second quarter of Sunday's game, living up to that nickname.
"I like it," she said. "I do."
The Gamecocks won for the 26th straight game and should be both the No. 1 overall seed and the favorite when the NCAA tournament bracket is revealed a week from today.
"If they do have a hole, it ain't very big," said Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer, whose second-seeded Bulldogs swept the SEC titles last season.
This year it's the Gamecocks who were simply better than everyone else in the SEC. They were undefeated against league foes in the regular season and haven't lost at all since Indiana beat them 71-57 on Thanksgiving at the Paradise Jam.
They proved their superiority once more by running away - the Gamecocks led by 27 in the second half - from the usually powerful Bulldogs (27-6), who took their biggest defeat since falling 82-64 to Tennessee in February 2017. Mississippi State gave South Carolina its closest result during this year's SEC regular season, with the Gamecocks winning 81-79 on Jan. 20 in Columbia.
Aliyah Matharu led Mississippi State with 17 points Sunday. The Bulldogs beat 16th-ranked, third-seeded Kentucky 77-59 in Saturday's late semifinal to reach the title game, with the Wildcats led by 26 points from sophomore Rhyne Howard, the SEC player of the year and a former Bradley Central standout.
Herbert Harrigan had 44 points in the Gamecocks' three tournament games as they won by an average margin of 24 points.
The Gamecocks celebrated Sunday as streamers of blue, white and yellow - the colors in the SEC logo - fell over the court. The loud, pro-South Carolina crowd - the arena is less than two hours' drive south of campus - roared its approval.
"Look at us. Look at this team," Staley told the fans. "It's special."
AP photo by Richard Shiro / South Carolina's Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan grabs for confetti after the Gamecocks beat Mississippi State in the SEC tournament title game Sunday in Greenville, S.C.N.C. State 71, Florida State 66
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Aislinn Konig and her teammates weren't even born the last time North Carolina State won the Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball tournament, but the significance of the achievement wasn't lost on them Sunday afternoon.
They soaked in a historic victory, remaining on the court for more than a half-hour to cut down the nets and make mock snow angels on a court covered balloons and confetti after the 10th-ranked, second-seeded Wolfpack (28-4) beat 22nd-ranked, fourth-seeded Florida State for their first ACC postseason championship since 1991.
"It's absolutely amazing to bring back this championship to Reynolds (Coliseum) and our fans and to everyone who has come before us," said Konig, who shook off a rough first half by shooting 5-for-7 from the field in the second half and finishing with 18 points to be named tournament MVP.
Elissa Cunane also had 18 points - she made 10 of her 14 free throws - and Jakia Brown-Turner added 14 with 10 rebounds for Wes Moore's Wolfpack. Moore coached the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team from 1998 to 2013, leading the Mocs to nine NCAA tourney berths and 358 wins, the most by any coach in program history.
Neither team led by more than six points Sunday.
"We didn't shoot it really well in the first half," Moore said, "but we knocked them down when we needed to."
Nicki Ekhomu and Nausia Woolfork each scored 17 points, and Kiah Gillespie had 15 with nine rebounds to lead Florida State (24-8), which upended fourth-ranked, top-seeded Louisville in Saturday's semifinals. Florida State never has won the ACC tourney title.
AP photo by Gerry Broome / North Carolina State women's basketball coach Wes Moore celebrates after the Wolfpack beat Florida State to win the ACC tournament title Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.Samford 59, UNCG 54
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Junior center Natalie Armstrong scored 20 points, and her 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds left carried Samford to an automatic berth in the NCAA field with a win over UNC Greensboro in the Southern Conference tournament final.
It's the first league tourney title for the Bulldogs (18-14) since 2012, which also was the last time they made the NCAA field.
On the key play, senior guard Charity Brown drove the left side of the lane, drew a pair of defenders, then whipped a left-handed pass to the 6-foot-2 Armstrong, who released the ball with a second left on the shot clock.
Out of its timeout, UNC Greensboro's Nadine Soliman attempted a deep 3-pointer that wasn't close and the ball bounced harmlessly out of bounds. Off the inbound play, Sara Myers threw a pass three-quarter lengths of the court to Brown, who caught up to the ball and laid it in for the final points.
Brown scored 14 points, while Shauntai Battle added 12 and matched Armstrong's seven rebounds.
Alexus Willey led the Spartans (23-9) in points with 14 off the bench, hitting four 3-pointers, and Aja Boyd added 11 with 10 rebounds.
The top-seeded Bulldogs beat the third-seeded Spartans for the third time this season. Samford, UNCG and the University of Tennesee at Chattanooga each finished 10-4 in SoCon play to share the regular-season title.
No. 2 seed UTC lost 63-55 to seventh-seeded Mercer in the opening round, but because Samford is now headed to the NCAA tourney, the Mocs will receive an automatic bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Maryland 82, Ohio State 65
INDIANAPOLIS - Stephanie Jones scored 18 points and Ashley Owusu added 17 with 11 assists to lead sixth-ranked, top-seeded Maryland past sixth-seeded Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament title game.
The Terrapins (28-4) won their 17th game in a row, earned the conference's automatic NCAA tournament bid and captured their first tourney crown in three years. It's Maryland's fourth tournament title in the six years it has been a member of the league.
Dorka Juhasz scored 20 points and Kierstan Bell had 13 to lead Ohio State (21-12), which ran out of steam after winning three times in three days and four straight overall.
Oregon 89, Stanford 56
LAS VEGAS - Sabrina Ionescu had 20 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds to lead the way as third-ranked, top-seeded Oregon cruised by seventh-ranked, third-seeded Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament title game.
Ruthy Hebard added 24 points and Minyon Moore had 21 for the Ducks, who shot 31-of-55 (56.4%) from the floor, including 10-for-19 (52.6%) from 3-point range.
The Ducks (31-2) will assuredly receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and figure to move up in the AP Top 25 poll after No. 2 Baylor lost to Iowa State 57-56 earlier Sunday, snapping the Bears' 58-game streak of regular-season wins in Big 12 games.
Kiana Williams scored 21 points and Ashten Prechtel had 14 for Stanford (27-6), which shot 19-for-55 (34.5%).