Darius Johnson has been on a mission, and his next task is helping UCF win a championship.
Johnson has scored 73 total points over the past two contests. He’s aiming to deliver another high-octane outing when the Knights (20-16) face Nebraska (20-14) on Sunday in the College Basketball Crown championship game at Las Vegas.
Johnson poured in a career-best 42 points in Saturday’s 104-98 overtime victory over Villanova in the semifinals. Two days earlier, he had 31 points in an 88-80 quarterfinal victory over Cincinnati.
Overall, the senior guard is averaging 29.3 points in UCF’s three wins during the tournament. But he’ll trade each and every one of those for a banner.
“We’re playing for a championship,” Johnson said. “… I want to go out the right way. We want to do something special before we all go our separate ways.”
Johnson was a big-time spark in the win over Villanova. He knocked down the tying 3-point basket with 7.6 seconds left in regulation and then scored 10 points in overtime.
There was zero chance of Johnson passing the ball late in regulation before hitting the big basket.
“I was wide open for the stepback three, which is one of my go-to shots,” Johnson said, “so I was able to capitalize on that.”
Nebraska reached the title game with a solid 79-69 victory over Boise State on Saturday.
The Cornhuskers made a season-high 12 3-pointers while shooting a season-best 63.2 percent from 3-point range.
Juwan Gary was 4-for-4 from 3-point range — tying his career high for makes — while producing 21 points and nine rebounds.
“Just found my rhythm,” Gary explained. “I’m trying not to force anything. I’m a senior and this is my last opportunity to play with these guys. Just got to go out there and play as hard as I can.”
Nebraska lost its final five regular-season games so being in the Crown tournament has allowed it to end the campaign on a good note.
The Cornhuskers beat Arizona State in the first round and Georgetown in the quarterfinals before dispatching Boise State.
“We might not be in March Madness but we’re still playing,” Gary said. “We want to go out there and leave our stamp out there. You can’t get a better feeling than to win a championship on Sunday.”
Brice Williams had 14 points against Boise State but is averaging 24 for the tournament. He scored 30 and 28 the first two games.
The winner of the title game receives $300,000 in NIL money. The runner-up receives $100,000.
–Field Level Media
