UC Irvine: 2018-19 Big West Men's Basketball Champions

They met in Fullerton first and then Irvine, and then, Saturday night, they met in the middle.

In Anaheim. At Honda Center. In the finale of the Big West tournament.

Turns out it didn’t matter where the games started because each finished in the same place: with UC Irvine on top.

The Anteaters defeated Cal State Fullerton 92-64 with a blitz from the opening tip led by junior guard Max Hazzard.

With the victory, Irvine (30-5) advances to the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history. The 2014-15 Anteaters were seeded 13th and sent to Seattle, where they lost their first game to Louisville 57-55.

The win also avenged their loss in the Big West final a year ago to the Titans (16-17), who were trying to make consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament.

Hazzard delivered the early punches and freshman teammate Collin Welp the final knockout.

Hazzard had 15 of his 23 points in the first half and Welp 12 of his 23 in the opening 10 minutes of the second.

Fullerton’s Khalil Ahmad, who scored 60 points total in his first two tournament games, missed eight shots to start Saturday and finished with six points.

Hazzard began by making three three-pointers in the game’s first four minutes. He added a driving layup before finally missing another three-point try.

The Anteaters made 10 of their first 13 shots overall and, after barely 10 minutes, had ballooned the difference to 30-12. The Titans closed to within 33-22 on a Kyle Allman Jr. three-pointer 4:46 before halftime.

But Irvine reasserted itself to close on a 9-2 run to restore the 18-point edge — 42-24 — after 20 minutes.

From there, the Anteaters continued to pour it on, burying Fullerton with an overwhelming display of offensive efficiency.

These two schools are conference rivals that share Orange County and equal measures of respect and distaste for one another.

The Anteaters won both previous meetings against the Titans this year, 63-46 in January and 60-53 nearly a month later.

At that point, the schools had played 110 times in men’s basketball. The record for each was the same: 55-55.

Two institutions that sit roughly 23 miles apart couldn’t have been any closer.

In the Big West tournament, however, Fullerton had carved out a sizable gap. The Titans entered Saturday 7-2 against Irvine when the stakes were one-and-done.

In 2018, they knocked off the third-seeded Anteaters as the No. 4 seed 71-55 in a title game Irvine led only once after the first three minutes.

Both these programs arrived at Honda Center riding upward trends established over the past few seasons.

Irvine has claimed the Big West’s regular-season title four times in six years, reached three consecutive tournament finals now and won at least 20 games in six of the past seven seasons for coach Russell Turner.

The Titans have won 10 Big West games in each of the past three years after winning 10 total in coach Dedrique Taylor’s first three seasons at the school.

Oregon: 2018-19 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Champions

Payton Pritchard posted 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals as sixth-seeded Oregon beat top-seeded Washington 68-48 in the Pac-12 men's basketball championship game on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Louis King added 15 points for the 23-12 Ducks, who won their fourth Pac-12 tournament championship game in school history. Paul White added 14 points.

Jaylen Nowell scored a team-leading eight points for the 26-8 Huskies, who shot 33.3 percent from the field and 5-of-23 from three-point range. Washington only scored two points over the first 10 minutes of the second half.

             

What's Next?

Both teams will wait to hear their names on Sunday during the NCAA tournament selection show, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.

===

LAS VEGAS — After trailing by just two points at half, the Washington men’s basketball team went on the wrong end of a big run that ultimately cost them in a 68-48 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game.

The offensive struggles against the Ducks continued today for the Huskies, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field and a measly 5-of-23 from distance.

Now, all the Huskies can do is sit and wait for the fates come Selection Sunday, where a loss casts some doubt on if the Dawgs will hear their names called. 

The first half featured a mostly back-and-forth contest before the Ducks began to generate a sliver of separation near the midway point. Oregon Guard Victor Bailey Jr. knocked down a heavily-contested three-point shot from the right wing to take the UO lead to four with 7:10 to go in the half.

After a series of back-and-forth buckets between the two teams, Matisse Thybulle scored on a tough floater to close out the half for the Huskies and trim the deficit to just two at the break.

It was a tough offensive start for leading UW scorer Jaylen Nowell, as he scored his first points of the game at the 4:17 mark in the opening frame and was shooting 2-of-5 from the field with a turnover at the half.

The second half didn’t start any better for the Huskies, who through nine and a half minutes had only scored two points and suddenly found themselves trailing by 16.

Finally, a Noah Dickerson layup in the post broke an over seven-minute scoreless streak midway through the second half. 

But the Ducks kept the pressure on. Led by Payton Pritchard, Louis King, and Paul White, who each scored in double figures, Oregon put on enough points to secure the upset and win yet another Pac-12 tournament championship.  

No Washington player scored in double figures.

The CBS selection show will air at 3 p.m. on Sunday, where the Huskies are hoping for their first tournament appearance since 2011.

New Mexico State: 2018-19 Western Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

For the second straight year, the Grand Canyon men's basketball team came one win away from earning its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

And for the second straight year, it was top-seeded New Mexico State that dashed the Lopes' dream.

New Mexico State routed GCU 89-57 in Saturday night's WAC Tournament championship game at the Orleans Arena to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies, who won all three of their matchups with GCU this season, defeated the Lopes 72-58 in last year's championship game in the same venue.

Everything went right for the Lopes in the first five minutes of Saturday's game, as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead and had the thousands of Lopes fans in attendance on their feet. But it was all Aggies, who won their 19th straight game, the rest of the way. NMSU out-shot, out-rebounded and out-defended GCU, to the delight of the NMSU fans who made the trip from Las Cruces.

Junior guard Carlos Johnson, who scored career highs in the Lopes' wins in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals and semifinals -- 66 total points in the two games -- was held to nine points on 3 of 9 shooting Saturday.

GCU shot just 7 of 30 from 3-point range, NMSU went 17 of 39 from beyond the arc.

Coached by former Phoenix Suns star Dan Majerle, GCU is in its sixth year at the NCAA Division I level, but this was just its second season of NCAA Tournament eligibility. Saturday's result means the Lopes will have to wait at least one more season to punch their first-ever ticket to the Big Dance.

Abilene Christian: 2018-19 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

The UNO bid for a second NCAA tournament berth in three seasons came up short Saturday (March 16) in a Southland Conference championship loss to Abilene Christian in Katy, Texas.

The Privateers trailed by 15 points in the first half and never got closer than eight points in the second half of the 77-60 loss. Abilene Christian will play in the NCAA tournament in the second season of postseason eligibility after its transition from the Division II level.

UNO (19-13) reached the conference final with a semifinal win Friday against top-seeded Sam Houston State. The Privateers held the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye to the quarterfinal round of the eight-team tournament. The game Saturday with the third in three days for UNO.

UNO turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and trailed 40-29 at halftime. The deficit reached 15 points a second time in the second half before a 7-0 run drew UNO within 61-53. The Wildcats (27-6) ran away from there.

Bryson Robinson, one of two current players from the NCAA tournament team from two years ago, scored 14 points with four 3-pointers. Scott Plaisance added 13 points.

Although not qualified for the NCAA tournament, UNO could have a postseason opportunity. The school played last season in the College Basketball Invitational, an event in which schools submit a bid for a chance to play at home.

Duke: 2018-19 Atlantic Coast Men's Basketball Champions

CHARLOTTE—One week ago Saturday, the Blue Devils walked off the court in Chapel Hill ready to hit the reset button prior to starting postseason play.

Three wins, 81 points and 30 rebounds by Zion Williamson later, it's safe to say Duke is back at its best.

The third-seeded Blue Devils clinched their 21st ACC tournament title Thursday after knocking off No. 4 seed Florida State 73-63 Saturday evening. Duke used a 25-11 run in the opening minutes of the second-half to break open a game that was tied at halftime. Williamson capped his stellar tournament for the Blue Devils with a 21-point, five-rebound performance as Duke collected its first piece of hardware of the 2018-19 campaign.

Williamson's scoring total for the week was a program record for a three-game run in the ACC tournament.

The Blue Devils (29-5) struggled to find consistency out of the gates, missing each of their first eight attempts from the perimeter as Florida State jumped out to a 27-19 advantage. Duke then started to push the tempo and took advantage of eight first-half turnovers from the Seminoles (27-7) to tie the game at 27 and entered halftime tied at 36.

Terrance Mann hit a triple out of the locker room to give the Seminoles a three-point lead, but the Blue Devils came right back with a classic Duke second-half run. Tre Jones hit a jumper, Zion Williamson hit a pair of layups, Javin DeLaurier hit two at the line and a reverse layup by Jones in transition capped a 10-0 spurt. The Blue Devils took a 46-39 advantage with 16:29 remaining—then their largest of the night.

Less than three minutes later, Duke went on another 8-0 spurt to open up a 58-44 advantage, forcing a Florida State timeout with 11:11 remaining. The Blue Devils opened the half with 10 consecutive made 2-pointers and coupled that with stifling defense that held Florida State to just three of its first 15 from the field out of the break.

The Seminoles fought back and cut the Duke lead to as little as five, using a 12-3 run to trim the deficit to 61-56 with 5:28 remaining—behind a team-high 14 points from ACC Sixth Man of the Year Mfiondu Kabengele—but Florida State could not slow down the Blue Devils enough down the stretch. A bucket by Jones and a 3-pointer by Cam Reddish from the left wing with 1:20 left put the game away.

Jones continued his recent attacking mentality on offense, but was more efficient than in past games. The floor general added a season-high 18 points, on 8-of-14 shooting, while racking up six assists in the process.

After a slow start from R.J. Barrett, the freshman phenom began to attack and ended up with 11 first-half points and 17 in the contest. Barrett complemented another stellar offensive showing from Williamson, who paced the team with 12 in the opening period and led the Blue Devil scoring game on the interior.

Both teams showed sloppiness in the first half, combining for 15 turnovers. The teams took better care of the ball out of the locker room, as Duke won the turnover battle 13-12.

Duke did manage to improve in an area that it has struggled mightily in throughout the season—at the charity stripe. The Blue Devils finished the contest with a 81.0 percent clip on free-throw attempts. Duke needed every point it could get at the stripe as the Seminoles could not miss, draining their first 13 attempts and finishing the contest 15-for-16

With the win, the Blue Devils will wait to see if they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. If that is the case when the bracket is revealed Sunday at 6 p.m., Duke will likely be in the East Region and will begin tournament play Friday in Columbia, S.C.

Old Dominion: 2018-19 Conference USA Men's Basketball Champions

FRISCO, Texas – Old Dominion is dancing! The Monarchs will make their return to the NCAA Tournament after an eight-year hiatus.

ODU defeated Western Kentucky  in the Conference USA Championship 62-56 on Saturday evening.

This will be the 11th NCAA Tournament appearance for Old Dominion, and the first since 2011. It’s also the first Conference USA title since joining the conference in 2013.

ODU last won a conference tournament title in the CAA back in 2011.

Xavier Green led ODU with 16 points. Ahmad Caver had a near double-double with 10 points and nine assists.

The Monarchs will find out their opponent and destination Sunday on News 3 at 6:00 p.m. during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

Montana: 2018-19 Big Sky Men's Basketball Champions

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Sayeed Pridgett scored 18 points and Montana overcame a 12-point deficit to beat Eastern Washington 68-62 on Saturday night for its second straight Big Sky Tournament title and NCAA bid.

Donaven Dorsey and Michael Oguine each added 12 points for Montana (26-8). The Grizzlies also beat the Eagles (16-18) last year in the final.

Jesse Hunt led Eastern Washington with 17 points, and Kim Aiken Jr. had 14.

Playing with a smaller lineup of five guards, Montana took its first lead midway through the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Montana: Montana could be facing the departure of coach Travis DeCuire, who has already been linked to coaching vacancies at major programs.

Eastern Washington: Coach Shantay Legans will have to deal with the loss of Hunt, the senior who lead the team in scoring and was the Big Sky’s top rebounder.

UP NEXT

Montana await its seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

Buffalo: 2018-19 Mid-American Men's Basketball Champions

CLEVELAND – The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team completed the championship sweep Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Jeremy Harris scored 31 points to help the Bulls to an 87-73 win against Bowling Green for the MAC Tournament championship. The Bulls clinched their fourth MAC Championship and their fourth NCAA Tournament berth since 2015. UB won conference titles and received auto bids in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

The Bulls improve to 31-3, a MAC record for wins in a season in men's basketball. The Bulls enter the  NCAA Tournament on a 12-game winning streak, and will learn their tournament destination when the NCAA announces the 68-team field Sunday night. The NCAA Tournament begins Tuesday with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.

The Bulls also made Nate Oats’ bank account a little more robust. Under the terms of Oats’ new contract, which began Thursday, the fourth-year Bulls coach will receive a bonus of $75,000 for winning the MAC Tournament championship.

Third-seeded Bowling Green finishes the season 22-12. Saturday was the first meeting between the two teams in the MAC tournament

The Bulls took a 12-8 lead less than five minutes into the game, with the help of 3-pointers by Davonta Jordan and Jayvon Graves, and held the Falcons without a shot from the perimeter – Bowling Green opened 0-3 on 3-pointers, and finished 2 for 10 in the first half.

Then, the Falcons hit a drought from the floor. Bowling Green went without a successful shot form the floor for a span of nearly six minutes. In that time the Bulls went on a 9-0 run, and at one point the Falcons called a 30-second timeout with 9:04 left in an attempt to regroup, trailing 24-13.

It didn’t work. UB built its lead to 28-13 less than a minute after the timeout, and led by as many as 12. The Bulls also didn’t allow Bowling Green to hit its first 3-pointer until less than four minutes remained in the half, but Daeqwon Plowden’s shot cut UB’s lead to 36-31, part of a 14-3 run in the final 4:13 that cut UB’s lead to 39-38 with 1:30 left in the half. The Falcons also grabbed 25 rebounds to Bowling Green’s 17 in the first half, including 18 defensive rebounds to UB’s 13.

The Bulls and the Falcons traded leads five times in the first 2:09 of the second half, before Jeremy Harris’ 3-pointer 3:17 into the half tied the game at 50-50, but Dylan Frye hit only his second 3-pointer to break a scoreless drought of 2:31 that gave the Falcons a 53-50 lead.

The Bulls and the Falcons traded the lead six more times in more than two minutes midway through the second half, and UB used an 11-3 run to open its lead to 74-68 with less than five minutes left.

But Nick Perkins fouled out, a fourth foul plus a technical foul, and Justin Turner and Demajeo Wiggins made three of four free throws to cut UB’s lead to 74-71 with 4:26 left. The Bulls didn’t panic, though. Eighteen seconds later, Graves’ 3-pointer opened UB’s lead back to seven points, kicking off a decisive 13-2 run that closed the game for the Bulls.

Prairie View A&M: 2018-19 Southwestern Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Gary Blackston and Dennis Jones scored 17 points apiece to lead six Prairie View A&M players in double figures and the Panthers beat Texas Southern 92-86 on Saturday night in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.

Prairie View earned its second NCAA Tournament berth and first since 1998.

Gerard Andrus had 12 points, Taishaun Johnson and Darius Williams scored 11 apiece and Devonte Patterson added 10 for the top-seeded Panthers (22-12), who have won 11 games in a row.

Patterson made 1 of 2 free throws and Jones added a layup to put Prairie View in front 83-81, the last of 15 lead changes, with 2:11 left. Trayvon Reed's layup with 38 seconds to go made it 85-all but the Panthers went 7 of 8 from the foul line, and TSU committed two turnovers, from there to seal it.

Jalyn Patterson led Texas Southern (21-13) with 24 points, including 18 in the second half. Devocio Butler scored 18, Tyrik Armstrong added 16 and Jeremy Combs had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Combs, the SWAC player of the year, fouled out on the offensive end with two minutes remaining.

TSU had won the last two, and four of the last five, SWAC Tournaments.

Armstrong had 12 points in the first four-plus minutes as the Tigers scored 15 of the first 19 points and a dunk by Reed gave them a 13-point lead but PVAMU answered with a 19-4 run over the next five minutes to take its first lead a 26-24.

The Panthers scored the first six second-half points to take their biggest lead at 51-41 with 18:20 left.

Villanova: 2018-19 Big East Men's Basketball Champions

NEW YORK (AP) – Villanova became the first team to win three consecutive Big East Tournaments, beating Seton Hall 74-72 on Saturday night behind seniors Eric Paschall and Phil Booth and key contributions from freshman Saddiq Bey.

Seton Hall star Myles Powell, guarded closely by Booth, missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that could have won it. Booth was called for traveling as he tried to corral the rebound, however, and the Pirates got one more chance with 0.4 seconds left. Anthony Nelson’s long inbounds pass bounced off the backboard and was slapped away by the Wildcats, who got to party on the Madison Square Garden floor yet again.

The 25th-ranked and top-seeded Wildcats (25-9) were in the Big East final for a fifth straight year, and have won four of the last five championships. The only loss during that span was to Seton Hall in 2016, and Powell and the third-seeded Pirates (20-13) gave Villanova all it could handle once again.

Powell scored 25 points to cap a spectacular three days at Madison Square Garden for the high-scoring guard.

Paschall had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Booth scored 16 points and was selected most outstanding player of the tournament. Bey, who Villanova fans hope will lead the next wave of championship teams, had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Villanova had a chance to seal it in the final 30 seconds but Paschall was called for a charge when he lowered his shoulder into Myles Cale with 24 seconds left. Powell quickly scored inside at the other end to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 73-72 with 15.5 seconds left.

The Pirates sent Paschall to the line with 13.7 seconds remaining and he made the first and missed the second. Seton Hall rebounded and called a timeout to set up a final play with 8.9 seconds left.

UP NEXT

Seton Hall: The Pirates are headed to their fourth straight NCAA Tournament, matching a school best (1991-94).

Villanova: The defending national champions will be in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight season, but will probably be seeded worse than a 2 for the first time since 2013.

Iowa State: 2018-19 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Something about the Big 12 Tournament brings out the best in Iowa State.

The fifth-seeded Cyclones raced to a big early lead against No. 17 Kansas, then leaned on some balanced scoring and enough stops down the stretch to beat the Jayhawks 78-66 on Saturday night and remain unbeaten in five championship game appearances.

Lindell Wigginton had 17 points, Marial Shayok had 15 and Michael Jacobson 14 for the Cyclones (23-11). They became the lowest-seeded team ever to win the conference tournament and improved to 2-0 against Kansas (25-9) in the finals.

Dedric Lawson had 18 points and Devon Dotson added 17 for the third-seeded Jayhawks, whose last chance to win some hardware will be the NCAA tournament. Their run of 14 consecutive regular-season crowns ended last weekend, and they failed to defend their Big 12 Tournament title.

Meanwhile, the Cyclones made a tremendous about-face during their stay in Kansas City.

They arrived having lost five of their past six regular-season games, and they looked rudderless in losses to Texas and lowly West Virginia. But beginning with a blowout of Baylor and continuing with a quarterfinal win over regular-season champ Kansas State, the Cyclones found their stride.

The Jayhawks, who are still looking for their own, were fortunate to trail 32-22 at halftime.

Lawson, who had 24 points in the semifinals, was 2-of-11 from the field. Marcus Garrett was 0-for-6 from the floor and 1-of-4 from the foul line. Quentin Grimes was 0-or-4 from beyond the arc after hitting five 3-pointers in their win over the Mountaineers on Friday night.

All told, the Jayhawks shot 27.8 percent from the field and missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the first half. They also were just 2-of-8 from the free throw line.

Iowa State had its own trouble on the offensive end of the floor, getting five shots swatted into the seats. But the Cyclones were effective at getting to the rim, and easy layups by Wigginton and Tyrese Haliburton allowed them to take control.

Their lead swelled to 41-24 early in the second half. And even when the Jayhawks managed to nip into it, they would inevitably miss an open layup or throw the ball away.

Or, Jacobson would knock down an unlikely 3-pointer.

That was the case when the Jayhawks trimmed the deficit to 45-35 with 14 minutes to go. Iowa State's big man calmly drained one from the top of the arc -- all Kansas coach Bill Self could do was smile in disbelief -- and Steve Prohm's squad promptly ripped off seven straight points.

Frustration eventually set in for the Jayhawks down the stretch.

After cutting their deficit to single digits on several occasions, including 72-63 with 1:21 to go, the Cyclones kept answering. And after Grimes was called for a foul on Wigginton, Lawson spiked the ball under the basket and was whistled for a technical foul.

Shayok made the two technical foul shots, Wigginton made two more, and the chants of "Let's Go, Cyclones!" began to reverberate throughout Sprint Center in celebration of another title.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa State has leaned on Shayok and Talen Horton-Tucker much of the season, but Wigginton and Haliburton shined in Kansas City. Wigginton is averaging more than 15 points over his past five games, and Haliburton continues to lead the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kansas started freshman center David McCormack, but the Cyclones' guard-oriented lineup forced the Jayhawks to match their personnel. Charlie Moore and the rest of their guards struggled shooting the ball, and they were unable to get crucial defensive stops down the stretch.

UP NEXT

Both teams will learn their NCAA tournament destinations Sunday.

Utah State: 2018-19 Mountain West Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Sam Merrill scored 24 points, Neemias Queta had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Utah State won its first Mountain West Conference championship with a 64-57 victory over San Diego State on Saturday.

Utah State (28-6) scored the first 13 points of the second half to pull away after leading 34-32 at halftime. The Aggies, who joined the conference in 2013-14, were the No. 2 seeds after sharing the regular-season title with No. 14 Nevada.

Merrill, who went 11 of 12 from the free throw line, was the tournament's MVP. Abel Porter had 10 points for the Aggies, who have won 10 straight and 17 of their last 18 games.

Fourth-seeded San Diego State got no closer than five points on two occasions after Utah State's run, cutting it to 60-55 in the final minute. But Merrill responded by hitting two free throws with 43 seconds left to seal it.

Devin Watson scored 18 points in a game the Aztecs (21-13) in all likelihood needed to win to make the NCAA Tournament.

Even though the Aggies led for 12 minutes, 15 seconds of the first half, there were 10 lead changes and seven ties in the session. Neither team could build more than Utah State's five-point advantage.

BIG PICTURE

Utah State: This was the Aggies' first conference championship game appearance since winning the Western Athletic Conference title in 2011 with a 77-69 victory over Boise State. Merrill became the seventh Aggie to reach 700 points in a season and moved into fifth on the team's career scoring list with his 21st point Saturday.

San Diego State: The Aztecs won the MWC tournament in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2018. This also was their ninth finals appearance in 11 years, all at the Thomas & Mack Center. They have appeared in 11, a conference record.

UP NEXT

Utah State: Awaits word for a seeding in the NCAA Tournament

San Diego State: Awaits word on a postseason tournament berth.

Let It Ride

Good bye, hard life

Don't cry would you let it ride?

Good bye, hard life

Don't cry would you let it ride?

You can't see the mornin', but I can see the light

Try, try, try let it ride

While you've been out runnin' I've been waitin' half the night

Try, try, try let it ride

And would you cry if I told you that I lied and would you say goodbye or

Would you let it ride?

And would you cry if I told you that I lied

And would you say goodbye or would you let it ride?

Seems my life is not complete I never see you smile

Try, try, try let it ride

Baby you want the forgivin' kind and that's just not my style

Try, try, try let it ride

And would you cry if I told you that I lied and would you say goodbye or

Would you let it ride?

And would you cry if I told you that I lied

And would you say goodbye or would you let it ride?

I've been doin' things worthwhile, you've been bookin' time

Try, try, try let it ride

And would you cry if I told you that I lied and would you say goodbye or

Would you let it ride?

And would you cry if I told you that I lied

And would you say goodbye or would you let it ride?

Would you let it ride

Would you let it ride

Would you let it ride

Would you let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Try, try, try let it ride

Would you let it ride?

Would you let it ride?

Would you let it ride?

Would you let it ride?

-Charles Turner and Randy Bachman

North Carolina Central: 2018-19 Mid-Eastern Men's Basketball Champions

NORFOLK, Va. -- Zacarry Douglas scored all 10 of his points during a 25-6 second-half run and North Carolina Central won its third consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament with a 50-47 victory against top-seeded Norfolk State on Saturday.

The Eagles (18-15) earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament despite missing nine of their last 10 shots and not scoring for the final 4:03.

Mastadi Pitt scored 14 points and C.J. Kelly 13 for Norfolk State (21-13). The Spartans had a last chance to tie, but after taking a timeout with 8.8 seconds left, they had to settle for a heavily contested desperation heave by Pitt at the buzzer.

The Spartans closed the first half on a 20-8 run and led 32-22 at the break. It was 34-22 after Alex Long's jumper to open second-half scoring, but Jordan Perkins' 3-pointer started the 25-6 spurt. Perkins had seven points in the run that gave the Eagles a 47-38 lead with 8:18 to play.

The Spartans trailed 50-42 after Jibri Blount's basket for the Eagles with 4:03 left, but got only a driving basket by Steven Whitley and three free throws by Jordan Butler the rest of the way as they missed seven of their last eight shots.

BIG PICTURE

N.C. Central: The Eagles turned over the ball 17 times, but it led to just 13 points for Norfolk State. The Eagles also won the rebounding battle 41-29 with Raasean Davis grabbing 14 and Douglas 12.

Norfolk State: Scoring leader Nic Thomas (14.9 points per game) was scoreless, missing all five of his shots from the field.

UP NEXT

N.C. Central: will await its NCAA Tournament destination.

Norfolk State: will play in the NIT as league regular-season champions.

Vermont: 2018-19 America East Men's Basketball Champions

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Vermont learned from its loss last year on its home floor to Maryland-Baltimore County in the America East Tournament title game -- a result that paved the way for an even bigger win by UMBC.

Anthony Lamb scored 28 points, and Vermont beat UMBC 66-49 on Saturday to win the America East championship and earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

It was the seventh conference title overall and second in three years for the Catamounts (27-6), who got their revenge on the anniversary of 16th-seeded UMBC's shocking upset of top-seeded Virginia in last year's NCAA Tournament.

"I'm impressed how well we grew over the season and today was a full team effort," Vermont coach John Becker said. "These games are surreal because of the crowd and noise. We were tougher this year because of that game. We had a lot of young guys, so credit our new leadership."

Lamb, the America East player of the year, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He went 8 for 16 from the field and had nine rebounds, and he led a strong defensive effort from the Catamounts, who held the Retrievers to 34-percent shooting.

Stef Smith added 17 points for Vermont and Ben Shungu scored nine, all in the second half. K.J. Jackson led UMBC (21-13) with 15 points, and Arkel Lamar had eight points and 11 rebounds.

Lamb hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to start an 11-0 run that put Vermont ahead 39-22.

"The championship game a lot of times comes down to the best player playing like that," Becker said. "I never wanted to put any extra pressure on Anthony, but the reality today is that our best player was a big reason we won."

Both teams got off to slow starts. UMBC missed its first six field-goal attempts and hit only five of its first 16, while Vermont was 7 for 21, missing its first six 3-point attempts. Lamb scored 12 of Vermont's first 18 points and had 19 by halftime, when the Catamounts led 28-20.

"This year the script was flipped after a year ago," UMBC coach Ryan Odom said. "Hats off to Vermont today. Our offense today left a lot to be desired -- give them credit for a lot of that. Lamb had a dynamite game. He's tremendous."

BIG PICTURE

UMBC: The Retrievers handed Vermont its only two regular-season losses in America East play, including a 74-63 win in Burlington on Jan. 23. Lamb didn't play in that game.

Vermont: Recent struggles against UMBC aside, the Catamounts are comfortable atop the America East. They were the top seed in the conference tournament and reached their fourth straight title game and 13th overall. Vermont has seven titles, all since 2003.

STAT PACK

The Catamounts were 1 for 7 from 3-point range in the first half but heated up after halftime, making four of their first six from beyond the arc. ... Vermont shot 41 percent from the floor and outrebounded UMBC 38-27.

UP NEXT

UMBC awaits a possible bid in the NIT or another postseason tournament.

Vermont will learn its NCAA Tournament seeding and destination on Sunday evening.