Darius Johnson is on the mission and his next job is to help UCF win the championship.
Johnson has scored a total of 73 points in the last two contests. He aims to offer another high octane outing when the Knights (20-16) faced Nebraska (20-14) on Sunday at the College Basketball Crown Championship Game in Las Vegas.
Johnson poured a career-high 42 points in a 104-98 overtime on Saturday, a victory over Villanova in the semi-finals. Two days ago, he scored 31 points in the 88-80 quarterfinals against Cincinnati.
Overall, the senior guard averages 29.3 points on three UCF wins during the tournament. But he trades all of them for banners.
“We’re playing for the championship,” Johnson said. “…I want to get out the right way. We want to do something special before we all go separate ways.”
Johnson was a huge spark that won over Villanova. He knocked down a 3-point basket with 7.6 seconds left in regulation, scoring 10 points in overtime.
There was no chance that Johnson would pass the ball late in regulation before hitting a big basket.
“I was wide open for Stepback Three, which is one of my go-to shots,” Johnson said.
Nebraska reached the title game on Saturday with a solid 79-69 victory over Boise State.
The Cornhuskers scored a season-high 12 3-pointers, filming a season-high 63.2% from the 3-point range.
Juwan Gary is 4-4 from the 3-point range, bringing him high on his career while generating 21 points and nine rebounds.
“I just found my rhythm,” explained Gary. “I try not to force anything. I’m a senior. This is my last chance to play with these guys.
Nebraska lost the last five regular season games, so participating in the Crown Tournament allowed him to end the campaign with a good note.
The Cornhuskers beat Arizona in the first round and defeated Georgetown in the quarterfinals before sending Boise State.
“We may not be in the madness of March, but we’re still playing,” Gary said. “We want to get out there and leave the stamps there. We don’t get a better feeling than winning the championship on Sunday.”
Bryce Williams scored 14 points against Boise State, but averaged 24 points in the tournament. He scored 30 and 28 in his first two games.
The winner of the title game will receive $300,000 in nil money. Runner-up will receive $100,000.
– Field-level media
