UC San Diego: 2024-25 Big West Men's (and Women's) Basketball Champions

HENDERSON, Nev. — The UC San Diego women’s basketball team cut down the net in the Lee’s Family Forum after winning the Big West tournament Saturday to claim an elusive NCAA berth in the university’s first year of full Division I membership.

Workers emerged from the back, climbed up a ladder and replaced the net.

Three hours later, the UCSD men’s team cut it down again.

Snip, snip, snip. It’s a beautiful sound.

The fever dream continues for the Tritons, beating UC Irvine 75-61 to win their 30th game of the season and now go national with what has heretofore been a regional phenomenon.

That makes it a record three San Diego men’s or women’s teams to qualify for the Division I Big Dance. A fourth, San Diego State’s men, will learn if it receives an at-large berth during the Selection Show on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m., CBS).

There was some question whether top-seeded UCSD (30-4), with major metrics in the top 40, would receive an at-large berth should they lose in the Big West tournament and need one. We’ll never know because they overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half, then gradually pulled away from the second-seeded Anteaters behind a barrage of 3-pointers from senior guard Hayden Gray, one deeper than the last.

Gray finished with a Division I career-high 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting (6 of 7 from 3) on a night when UC Irvine bottled up UCSD’s top two scorers.

The other star was their defense, holding the Anteaters to 33.9% shooting and 7-foot-1 German center Bent Leuchten to 10 points after he had 23 in each of the two regular-season meetings.

The Tritons built their dream season on a five-out offense predicated on the 3-ball and a matchup zone defense that teams generally don’t see. But their real secret might be something else: turnover margin.

It’s simple mathematics. If you attempt more shots than your opponent, you have a better chance of winning. And if you turn it over, you’re not taking a shot.

They entered the game ranked fourth nationally with only 13.2% of possessions ending in a miscue, and second nationally with their opponents coughing it up 23.5%. In the semifinals Friday night against UC Santa Barbara, they had a season-low three.

A day later, they had three in the opening 12 minutes and seven by halftime, an inordinate number for them. The Anteaters converted them into seven points and built a 25-16 lead.

All things considered, though, trailing just 33-31 at intermission was a blessing of sorts, because it could have been far worse. Leading scorer Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones had six points but needed nine shots to get them. Tyler McGhie, their second leading scorer, had two points and two fouls.

Gray came to the rescue, scoring their next eight points after coach Eric Olen called timeout down nine. But Gray needs to produce the way the Anteaters defend the Tritons, putting Leuchten on Tait-Jones and parking him under the basket (given Tait-Jones’ hesitancy to shoot 3s) and face-guarding McGhie to limit his clean 3-point looks.

The unique defensive scheme worked in the first meeting, a 60-52 Anteaters win at LionTree Arena on Jan. 11. It didn’t work as well in the return game at UC Irvine, an 85-67 Tritons win on Feb. 8. McGhie had five points in each.

And it was more of the same Saturday night on a neutral floor.

The Tritons got their first lead since 12-9 on a lean-in baseline jumper by McGhie with 17:25 to go, and they never trailed again.

UC Irvine got within four with four minutes left, but Devin Tillis drove baseline and lost the ball into the basket standard. UCSD went to the other end, and Nordin Kapic splashed a 3 from the right corner.

Next Irvine possession: Another turnover.

Next UCSD possession: McGhie 3, his first of the game after being 0 of 5.

Next Irvine possession: turnover.

Next UCSD possession: A free throw by Tait-Jones (14 points) for an 11-point lead with 2:34 to go.

The Tritons — yes, the program that was Division II five years ago — are going dancing.

Snip, snip, snip.

Alabama State: 2024-25: Southwestern Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

 

Alabama State faced a tough challenge in the 2025 SWAC Tournament, but the Hornets defeated Jackson State and former ASU head coach Mo Williams with a score of 60-56 to become conference champions.

Senior guard CJ Hines, named MVP, led the Hornets with 20 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. TJ Madlock added seven points and nine rebounds, including a clutch jumper late to extend the lead for ASU.

Jackson State big man Shannon Grant Jr. led his team with 20 points and nine rebounds. Three more players had nine points each, including Daeshun Ruffin, who went 0-for-5 on 3-pointers and committed six turnovers.

With the win, ASU heads to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

“These guys did what we expected to do all year long,” head coach Tony Madlock said after the game. “I said earlier today, all of our games are like this – close, tough games. So we’ve been preparing for this all year.”

In the first 10 minutes of the game, we saw a battle of contrasting styles. For Jackson State, the ball was forced inside to the 6-foot-11, 290-pound center Shannon Grant Jr. Alabama State wanted a more up-tempo style, relying on its backcourt to get out in transition.

Jackson’s plan worked well early as Grant scored his team’s first nine points. But a couple of transition layups and interior pressure gave the Hornets an 11-9 lead halfway through the first period.

Soon after, the Tiger guards went on an 8-0 run thanks to a couple of 3-pointers from Jayme Mitchell and a contested fastbreak layup from Ruffin. Jackson State recaptured the lead to get in front of Alabama State 19-14 with less than six minutes to go in the first half.

But the Hornets didn’t let the game get out of hand. Instead, CJ Hines scored seven of his 11 first-half points in the final five minutes to cut the deficit to one. He had a chance to tie the game but missed the free throw after converting the layup and drawing the foul.

Jackson State led Alabama State 26-25 at the break.

The second half started with the Daeshun Ruffin show, where the junior guard scored seven points in the first five minutes after scoring only two in the first half. It looked like Jackson State would start to run away as the Tigers had the largest lead of the game with nine points, but a 3-pointer from D’Ante Bass stopped the bleeding at the first media timeout. Tigers lead 39-33 with 14:47 to go in the second half.

Fortunately for Alabama State, Bass’ 3-pointer started a 9-0 run for the Hornets, and they tied the game at 39 with 10:15 to go. After the two teams exchanged baskets, Hines knocked down another deep shot to give the Hornets a 44-41 lead with 6:12 to go.

Jackson State responded with a pair of free throws from Dorian McMillan and a layup from Grant. After that, both teams exchanged the lead in the final minutes until Micah Octave hit a cutting layup, and Madlock hit a tough mid-range jumper to take a 56-53 lead with 38 seconds left.

After the Tigers foul to stop the clock and Shawn Fulcher hits both free throws, McMillan hits a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two points with less than 10 seconds in the game.

Unfortunately, Jackson State couldn’t get the steal, and the Hornets eventually sealed their victory and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

Liberty: 2024-25 Conference USA Men's Basketball Champions

 

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WSET/Liberty Flames) — For a season with plenty of ups and downs, Saturday's Conference USA championship game never seemed in doubt.

No. 1 seed Liberty won its first Conference USA title, topping No. 2 seed Jacksonville State 79-67 in the 2025 CUSA Championship Final on Saturday night at Propst Arena.

The Flames improve to 28-6 on the season and punch their ticket to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Liberty will find out where it will be heading in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow night on Selection Sunday. The NCAA Selection Show will be carried live tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville State drops to 22-12 on the year. The Gamecocks will await their postseason fate.

This is Liberty's fourth conference championship title in the last seven years and seventh conference crown overall. The Flames now have 10 total titles (four conference tournament, six regular season and/or division crowns) over the last seven years.

Duke: 2024-25: Atlantic Coast Men's Basketball Champions

 

CHARLOTTE — Duke basketball’s championship-level defense earned the top-ranked Blue Devils an ACC Tournament championship. 

Duke buckled down with a dominant stretch of defense in the second half of a 73-62 win against Louisville on Saturday at Spectrum Center. The Blue Devils (31-3) held the high-scoring Cardinals (27-7) below 70 points for the second time this season to win their 23rd ACC Tournament title.

With the win, Duke’s Jon Scheyer is the first ACC coach to win the ACC Tournament in two of his first three seasons. In 2023, Scheyer became the first person to win an ACC title as a player and coach. He won two titles (2009-10) under former coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have won six ACC Tournament championships in Charlotte.

Here are some observations from Duke's win against Louisville in the ACC Tournament.

Kon Knueppel had an ACC Tournament MVP performance

Duke freshman Kon Knueppel had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the championship game. Through two games in the ACC Tournament, Knueppel averaged 22.5 points on 47.7% shooting, including a 46.6% clip from 3-point range to lead the way after Cooper Flagg missed two games with an ankle injury.

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Tyrese Proctor 3-point shooting vs Louisville at ACC Tournament 

Tyrese Proctor has been one of the ACC’s best 3-point shooters throughout the season, but was struggling at Spectrum Center ahead of Saturday’s finale. Proctor was 6 of 29 (20.6%) from long distance across the previous seven games and missed his first 12 shots from beyond the arc before heating up against Louisville. He made a trio of treys in the first half against the Cards and finished with a career-high six 3-pointers.

Louisville’s Terrence Edwards Jr. gave the Cardinals a chance

Louisville’s Terrence Edwards, who had 21 points in the regular-season loss to the Blue Devils, dropped 15 points and played every minute of the first half in the ACC title game. Edwards scored 10 points in the final five minutes, dropping five points during a 7-0 run that helped the Cards take a 38-33 halftime lead. Louisville shot 55% in the first half. Edwards, who had 21 points in the regular season against Duke, had 22 points in the ACC title game with 14:28 left. He scored five points the rest of the way, finishing with 27.

Akron: 2024-25 Mid-American Men's Basketball Champions

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio — You come at the king, you best not miss.

After trailing by as many as 18 points, and weathering Miami’s storm of 3-pointers, Akron walked out of Rocket Arena with a 76-74 win Saturday in the MAC men’s basketball tournament final, their program’s sixth MAC tournament championship and second straight.

When Johnson drained a 3-pointer with 5:14 left in the second half, that cut Miami’s lead to 72-70.

For some time after the bucket, neither team scored. The Zips were unable to tie the game, and the RedHawks couldn’t buy a bucket.

Then came Johnson, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, with a jumper to tie it 72-all.

Miami’s Kam Craft, who had five 3-pointers in Friday’s semifinal win, tried to answer back with a trey, but was unsuccessful.

The Zips' Shammah Scott attacked the basket and was fouled, and made both free throws to give Akron a 74-72 lead, and their first since the 18:11 mark of the first half when leading 6-5.

Evan Ipsaro of the RedHawks took that same plan and got to the line himself, also making both to tie it again, 74-all, with 56 seconds remaining.

With 35 seconds left, it was Ipsaro again with the ball in his hands as the shot clock got closer to zero. He got as deep as he could in the paint before trying a fadeaway jumper, but it was a miss.

With eight seconds left, and everyone chasing the rebound, it was Akron’s Amani Lyles who grabbed it first and found Johnson running downcourt.

Johnson caught the ball, pulled off a euro-step past a Miami player, and so gracefully floated into the air for the game-winning teardrop with two seconds left.

Miami tried a last-second heave, but couldn’t get it up in time, giving Akron their third tournament championship in four seasons, and making them the first team since Buffalo (2018-2019) to win consecutive tournament crowns.

Thanks to the large waves of navy blue, Rocket Arena felt like a home game for Akron. Miami had a big section of red behind their team bench, but were overshadowed by the Zips' faithful in pre-tipoff cheers.

However, the RedHawks fans had their moment early on.

Only one name mattered in the first half: Peter Suder.

After Friday’s semifinal win over Kent State, Suder looked forward to playing Akron and avenging the 27-point loss suffered to them in January.

“They’re a really good team, but I think we’ll be a different version than the last time we played them,” Suder said Friday.

The transfer from Bellarmine caught fire and made a statement. He scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half, only missing one of his seven field goal attempts, and draining four treys.

He simply couldn’t miss, and neither could his teammates, making 10 of their 18 first-half 3-point attempts.

A made layup at the 8:13 mark of the first half gave Suder his 16th point, and a 34-16 lead for Miami, meaning he had as many points as Akron did.

And the RedHawks’ defense was sturdy, creating 11 points off seven Zips turnovers.

The Zips faithful was big in numbers, but small in noise due to the early lead the RedHawks created.

But the championship DNA in Akron helped it find new ways to stick around and only trail 46-34 going into halftime.

The RedHawks cooled off from beyond the arc, and Johnson found his rhythm offensively.

Johnson’s arsenal to get to the paint and earn points was visible, dribbling his way past anyone wearing red to earn 15 of his 23 points in the second half.

The aggressiveness from Johnson spread to his teammates, especially in terms of attacking the basket, which forced seven RedHawks fouls.

Akron’s Tavari Johnson caught some fire as well and drained three treys during their comeback, and finished with 15 points.

Gritty defense kept Miami to a 41.7% shooting performance in the second half, and to eight points in the paint.

The RedHawks were unable to continue their offensive clinic, and it hurt them in the end as Ipsaro’s two free throws were their only points scored in the final five minutes of the game.

Akron completed the comeback, and showed you should never underestimate the heart of a champion.

They will learn of their first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 6 p.m. when the bracket is revealed on CBS.

Mount St. Mary's: 2024-25 Metro Atlantic Men's Basketball Champions

 

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Dallas Hobbs scored 18 points and had seven assists, and sixth-seeded Mount. St. Mary's beat No. 4 seed Iona 63-49 on Saturday night to win its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship title.

Mount St. Mary's took the lead for good about four minutes into the second half and then finished the game on a 20-8 run. Mount St. Mary's (22-12), which entered 2-7 against Iona, also won a program-best 22 games, besting its 21-8 mark during the 1995-96 season.

Mount St. Mary's trailed 26-25 at the break before leading 33-32 with 16:06 to play. The Mountaineers later stretched the advantage to eight points before the Gaels used a 9-3 surge to get within 43-41 with 8:24 left. Dola Adebayo and Hobbs hit consecutive 3s to cap a 12-2 run and the Mountaineers led 55-45 with 3:50 remaining.

Mount St. Mary's shot 12 of 24 from the floor and 6 of 9 from long range in the second half.

Adebayo finished with 15 points and Arlandus Keyes added 14 for the Mount. Hobbs and Keyes each finished with four the Mount's seven 3-pointers.

Dejour Reaves scored 19 points to lead Iona (17-17).

Mount St. Mary's is in its third season in the league after playing in the Northeast Conference from 1989-2022, where it went 6-1 in championship games.

St. John's: 2024-25 Big East Men's Basketball Champions

The last time St. John’s won the Big East Tournament, RJ Luis Jr. wasn’t born yet.

Neither were Zuby Ejiofor or Kadary Richmond.

Rick Pitino was coaching the Boston Celtics — a job he held before his stints with Louisville, Greece’s Panathinaikos, Iona and, finally, St. John’s.

But on Saturday night, that group further restored the resurgent Red Storm to glory.

Top-seeded St. John’s defeated second-seeded Creighton, 82-66, in the Big East Tournament championship game at Madison Square Garden, adding another achievement to one of the greatest seasons in school history.

No. 6 St. John’s (30-4) made 14 consecutive field goals during an incredible run to pull away in the second half, clinching its first Big East Tournament championship since 2000 and the fourth in school history.

Luis, the Big East Player of the Year, came up huge on the biggest stage, scoring 29 points — including 27 in the second half — to set a championship game record.

He was named the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Ejiofor added 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and Richmond finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

And once again, they did it in comeback fashion.

St. John’s fell behind, 10-2, as rim-protecting Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, patrolled the paint.

The Johnnies repeatedly settled for — and missed — mid-range jumpers and 3-point attempts during an ugly first half in which they shot just 11-of-33 from the field.

Kalkbrenner’s presence proved particularly problematic early for Ejiofor, who, at 6-9, is four inches shorter than the 7-1 center. Ejiofor, who scored 33 points in Friday’s semifinal win over Marquette, went just 3-of-8 for seven points in the first half.

Luis had failed to pick up the slack to that point, managing only two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the first half. But the Johnnies’ hounding defense kept them in the game, and they trailed only 28-25 at the break.

And then St. John’s erupted.

Luis’ 3-pointer at the 14:26 mark of the second half knotted the score, 38-38, to tie the game for the first time since it was scoreless.

Ejiofor converted a three-point play two possessions later, marking the first of the Red Storm’s 14 consecutive makes.

Vince Iwuchukwu’s left-handed floater over Kalkbrenner on the next possession gave St. John’s its first lead, 43-41, with 11:55 to go.

And Luis capped that run without a miss by making a lay-up with 5:16 to go, putting the Red Storm up, 70-55.

Less than three minutes later, a sellout crowd decidedly in the Johnnies’ favor chanted “MVP” as Luis shot free throws. It was technically a neutral-site game, but with the win, St. John’s improved to 12-0 at the Garden.

St. John’s advanced to its first Big East Tournament title game in 25 years after cruising to a 78-57 victory over ninth-seeded Butler in Thursday’s quarterfinal round and then rallying from a 15-point deficit in Friday’s 79-63 semifinal win over Marquette.

With Saturday’s win, Pitino further delivered on the promise he made two years ago at his introductory press conference at the Garden, where he vowed St. John’s was “going to be back.”

It was a bold guarantee, even for a Hall of Fame coach with two national championships and seven Final Four appearances to his name.

But it took only two years for Pitino to turn St. John’s around.

The Johnnies went 27-4 in the regular season, including 18-2 in conference play, to claim their first outright Big East regular-season conference championship since 1985. Saturday clinched their first 30-win season since 1985-86.

After the regular season, Pitino suggested that winning the Big East Tournament could propel the Red Storm to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, St. John’s will find out its seed and its opponent to begin the Big Dance. It will be the Red Storm’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.

And then St. John’s will then get to work on ending another decades-long drought. It has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.

Colorado State: 2024-25 Mountain West Men's Basketball Champions

 

LAS VEGAS -- Nique Clifford scored 24 points and No. 2 seed Colorado State made a Mountain West tournament-record 12 3s and beat fifth-seeded Boise State 69-56 on Saturday night for its first title since 2003.

Colorado State (25-9) will make its second straight NCAA tournament appearance on a 10-game win streak.

Boise State trailed by 10 points at the half and pulled to within five points during the first minute of the second. But Jaylen Crocker-Johnson hit consecutive 3-pointers during an 11-0 run and the Rams led 43-27. Clifford made the Rams' 12th 3-pointer with about 10 minutes left that stretched their lead to 60-36.

Ethan Moore scored a career-high 11 points and Bowen Born added nine for the Rams. Clifford and Born each made three 3s as the Rams shot 12 of 24 from distance.

Tyson Degenhart scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Boise State (24-9).

Colorado State took the lead for good about eight minutes in and led by as many as 17 points in the first half. Boise State used an 11-4 surge to cut the deficit to 32-22 at the break. Crocker-Johnson's layup gave the Rams their largest lead, 63-38, with 6:48 remaining.

Houston: 2024-25 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Houston had crowded onto the podium inside T-Mobile Center on Saturday night, and the second-ranked Cougars were beginning to celebrate their Big 12 tournament title, when Emanuel Sharp was handed a championship belt as the tourney MVP.

He raised it high above his head -- upside down.

It was just about the only obvious misstep that anyone from Houston made all week.

Milos Uzan poured in 25 points against Arizona in the finale, Sharp added 17 in another brilliant effort, and the Cougars turned up their trademark defense in the final minute to hold on for a 72-64 victory over the Big 12 newcomer.

Playing without injured big man J'Wan Roberts, the Cougars (30-4) took a 64-62 lead on Uzan's 3-pointer with five minutes to go, then suffocated the Wildcats (22-12) down the stretch to avenge a loss to Iowa State in last year's title game.

"We did a great job of staying together," said Sharp, who was joined by Uzan and Big 12 player of the year L.J. Cryer on the all-tournament team. "That's what coach has been preaching. And that's why I love this team."

Houston romped to the regular-season Big 12 title, winning 19 of 20 games in the expanded league. And it was just as dominant in three games in Kansas City, easily beating Colorado and No. 17 BYU before turning back red-hot Arizona for the trophy.

Houston almost certainly locked up a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday and will probably begin its NCAA tournament in Wichita, Kansas.

"We never panic," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "A lot of people around us do, but thank god they're not coaches and players. We've been in these bunkers. We've been there when it's tough. We've learned to internalize and almost get independent of everything around us. We get in a bunker and believe in each other and get to work."

Houston (30-4) secured its fourth straight 30-win season, tying for the second-longest streak in Division I history, according to ESPN research. Gonzaga posted five straight 30-win seasons from 2016-21.

Caleb Love scored 19 points, Jaden Bradley added 14 and KJ Lewis finished with 11 for the Wildcats.

"It was a tough year. A tough conference. And for us to compete with the best of the best, you know, as far as conferences, I'm proud of my guys," Love said. "I'm just proud we made it this far, and we'll be ready for March Madness."

Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd had bristled after their quarterfinal win over No. 9 Texas Tech when it was suggested that the title tilt amounted to a showdown of styles: Arizona's high-scoring offense against Houston's dominant defense.

"We're not that bad on defense," Lloyd countered succinctly.

Turns out the Wildcats are quite good.

They harried and harassed Houston's guards wherever they went on the floor, twice holding the Cougars without a point for five-minute stretches in the first half. The result was a 33-28 lead in the locker room that felt just a little bit bigger.

Yet there is a reason that Houston is No. 1 nationally in defensive efficiency.

The Cougars were still trailing 40-37 when they clamped down on the Wildcats, turning defense into offense and outscoring them 19-6 over the next five minutes. By the time Uzan curled in a bucket with 11:40 to go, Houston had taken a 56-46 lead -- the largest of the entire game for either team.

Arizona gamely fought back to take a 62-61 lead, only for the relentless Cougars to regain the lead seconds later, when Uzan dropped his 3-pointer. He scored again on their ensuing possession, and Houston maintained its lead from there.

The result was its third conference tourney title in five years after the pair it won in the American Athletic Conference.

"Obviously they've had a great season, and a great couple of seasons, and Coach Sampson deserves a ton of credit. They got us twice this year," Lloyd said. "They won the conference by four or five. They won the conference tournament. At this moment they are the kings of the Big 12. I have nothing but respect for them."

Injury Update

Roberts, who sprained his right ankle in the quarterfinals, went through pregame warmups without the walking boot he wore a day earlier. But he had the boot back on as he watched from the bench in the hopes of playing in the NCAA tournament.

Norfolk State: 2024-25 Mid-Eastern Men's Basketball Champions

 

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Christian Ings scored 16 points, including the go-ahead free throw with eight seconds left, and top-seeded Norfolk State held off a wild rally by No. 2-seed South Carolina State for a 66-65 victory in the MEAC Tournament championship game on Saturday.

With the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Norfolk State will be making its third tournament appearance since 2021 and its fourth overall.

After Norfolk State led 61-51 near the two-minute mark, Wilson Dubinsky got hot and scored the next 12 points for South Carolina State. He began with a long two-pointer to get them within 64-59 with 57 seconds left.

After a timeout, South Carolina State came up with a steal and Dubinsky finished at the rim to make it 64-61. With 12 seconds left, Dubinsky cashed in on another steal to make it 65-63. Again, Norfolk State could not handle the Bulldogs’ pressure on the inbounds pass and a steal by Jayden Johnson led to the tying layup by Caleb McCarty with 10 seconds left.

McCarty, who apparently did not realize the game was tied, fouled Ings with eight seconds left. Ings made one free throw for the 66-65 lead and Johnson’s jumper with one second left was off the mark. A desperation tip by the Bulldogs was also off the mark.

Dubinsky made 8 of 11 shots, was 5 for 5 on 3-pointers, and finished with 24 points. Omar Croskey had 10 points. The Bulldogs (20-13) had won 11 straight games coming in.

Brian Moore Jr. scored 15 points for Norfolk State (24-10).

Dubinsky made three 3-pointers in the first half, leading the Bulldogs to a 34-25 halftime lead.

South Carolina State last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

Bryant: 2024-25 America East Men's Basketball Champions

 

Bryant men’s basketball is headed to its second NCAA Tournament in school history after beating Maine, 77-59, in the America East Tournament championship game Saturday.

Maine was making a run for its first tournament appearance in history before being denied by the Bulldogs (23-11, 14-2), who amassed an 11-point halftime lead and held on for a double-digit win on their home court in Smithfield, R.I.

The Bulldogs’ only other NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2022, Bryant’s final season as a member of the Northeast Conference, when they beat Wagner in the conference tournament championship to punch their ticket.

Coach Phil Martelli Jr., named the America East coach of the year this season, was the Bulldogs’ associate head coach that year before being promoted to his current position in 2023.

Bryant now awaits its first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The 68-team field will be announced during the selection show on CBS starting at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sophomore Barry Evans, named the America East newcomer of the year after transferring from St. Bonaventure, led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Conference player of the year Earl Timberlake scored 17 for Bryant, while Maine’s A.J. Lopez led the all scorers with 20 points.

Bryant entered halftime with its largest lead of the first half, heading into the locker room up 38-27. The Bulldogs extended the margin in the second half, leading by as many as 21.

Maine made a late push, cutting Bryant’s lead down to 13 with under six minutes remaining, but Bryant stayed hot to close out the blowout win.

The top-seeded Bulldogs beat UMBC, 85-74, in the first round before taking down Albany, 91-78, to earn a spot in the conference tournament final.