BIG TEN No. 1 ranked Illinois dominated defensively to build a big lead, and then held on to beat no. 23 Wisconsin 54-43 in the Big Ten tournament final on Selection Sunday.

Illinois (32-1) passed its final test before the NCAA tournament, withstanding a late 10-0 run by the Badgers (22-8) and capping an emotional weekend, two days after head coach Bruce Weber’s mother died.

The Illini, who earned the no. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, won’t get any frequent flyer miles in this tournament, with the first and second rounds in Indianapolis, the regional in Chicago, and the Final Four April 2 and 4 in St. Louis.

Yesterday, the Illini got 15 points and 12 rebounds from Roger Powell and 12 points each from Luther Head and James Augustine, who was voted tournament MVP.

Iliinois maintained a double-digit lead through most of the game, but when Augustine picked up his fourth foul with just over 9 minutes to play, the Badgers got back in the game.

Leading scorer Alando Tucker, scoreless in the first half, hit a basket and a 3-pointer, Kammron Taylor made a 3 and two free throws, and the Badgers got within 46-41 with 4:41 to go. Still trailing 48-43, the Badgers then missed five straight shots, including a 3-point miss by Tucker with just over a minute to go.

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SOUTHEASTERN Matt Walsh scored 26 points, including consecutive 3-pointers that sparked a stunning 21-2 run, leading the Gators to a 70-53 rout of no. 4 Kentucky and their first SEC tournament championship.

The Gators (23-7) also defied history, winning their first tournament title on their 40th try against the team that has defined success in this event. Kentucky had won the last two tournaments, 10 of the past 13, and 25 in all – more than all the other SEC schools combined.

Florida led throughout the first half and well into the second, but Kentucky (25-5) appeared to seize control with a 15-1 outburst. Randolph Morris scored on an offensive rebound with 12:32 remaining for Kentucky’s first lead of the game at 42-40.

After another Kentucky bucket, the Gators took control. Walsh, the tournament MVP, hit a 3-pointer to stem Kentucky’s momentum, then hit two more for a 51-44 Gator lead.

Kentucky shot only 37.5% from the field, including a dismal 2-of-19 outside the 3-point arc. Florida also dominated the boards, seizing control in the first half and finishing with a 48-31 edge.

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ATLANTIC COAST They came in as underdogs, a no. 3 seed that was supposed to have too little depth to compete against the new powerhouses in the ACC. When the final buzzer sounded at the 52nd ACC tournament, the Duke Blue Devils celebrated a 69-64 win over Georgia Tech and reclaimed their customary perch as league champions.

Tournament MVP J.J. Redick scored 26 points, Shelden Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the fifth ranked Blue Devils held off a late charge to squeeze past the fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets and win their sixth tournament title in seven years.

Duke (25-5) led by four points early in the second half before two Redick baskets, a Daniel Ewing 3-pointer, and a Shavlik Randolph layup made it 52-39. But the Blue Devils didn’t make another basket until Williams tipped in a missed foul shot just before the buzzer.

The Yellow Jackets (19-11) used an 8-0 run to close to 56-51 with 4:56 left. A 3-pointer by Tech’s Anthony Morrow cut the margin to three, and two free throws by teammate Will Bynum made it 64-62 with 1:27 to go.

A basket by Morrow got Tech within one in the final minute, but Redick was fouled on the inbounds and made two free throws to make it 67-64. After Bynum missed a 3-pointer, Duke’s David McClure missed two foul shots, but Williams tipped in the second one to clinch it.

Jarrett Jack scored 19 points for the Yellow Jackets, who fell short in their bid to win the ACC championship for the first time since 1993.

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BIG XII John Lucas scored 19 points, including a crucial free throw with 4.4 seconds left, and no. 10 Oklahoma State earned its second straight Big 12 tournament championship with a 72-68 victory over Texas Tech.

Joey Graham, the tournament’s most valuable player, added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the third-seeded Cowboys (24-6), who overcame 20 turnovers.

Ronald Ross, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Texas Tech, air-balled a 3-point attempt with time winding down. Lucas caught the ball under the basket, was fouled, and hit one free throw to put the game out of reach.

Jarrius Jackson also had 22 points for Texas Tech. But the Red Raiders (20-10) also had problems with turnovers, committing 19 – 14 in the first half.

Oklahoma State took its biggest lead, 49-37, on Lucas’s 3-pointer with 17 minutes left. But Martin Zeno scored 11 points and Ross had nine in Texas Tech’s 22-4 run that put the Red Raiders up 59-53 with 5:20 to go.

The Cowboys came back and went up 64-63 on Graham’s three-point play with 2:07 to go. Daniel Bobik then drew a charging call on Giles, and Lucas hit a 3-pointer that gave the Cowboys a 67-63 lead with 1:33 left. Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 1:16 to go, getting the Red Raiders within 69-68, and Lucas answered with a layup that put Oklahoma State up 69-66.

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SOUTHLAND Ricky Woods scored 16 points to lead Southeastern Louisiana to its first NCAA tournament berth with a 49-42 victory over Northwestern State in the Southland Conference tournament championship.

Southeastern Louisiana (24-8), the tournament’s no. 2 seed, ended a 10-game winning streak for top-seeded Northwestern State (21-12) by holding the Demons to their lowest point total of the season. The Lions’ 24 wins are the most in school history.

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SOUTHWESTERN Obie Trotter scored 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting from 3-point range to lead the Alabama A &M Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament bid with a 72-53 win over the Alabama State Hornets in the SWAC tournament championship game.

Kevin Spicer led the Hornets (15-15) with 15 points and 14 rebounds.