Cincinnati: 2017-18 American Men's Basketball Champions

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Gary Clark put Cincinnati ahead for good with a free throw with 4.3 seconds remaining and the eight-ranked Bearcats held on Sunday for a 56-55 victory over No. 21 Houston in the American Athletic Conference championship.

Clark finished with 20 points and the league regular-season champions rescued themselves for the second straight day with a stellar second-half performance, limiting Houston to 20 percent shooting and 18 points after halftime.

Cincinnati (30-4) earned the AAC's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament with its first conference tournament championship since the Bearcats won Conference USA in 2004.

Houston (26-7), which split a pair of games against Cincinnati during the regular season, lost for just the third time in its last 15 games and is headed to the NCAA Tournament, too.

Rob Gray led the Cougars with 17 points but missed a long 3-pointer in the closing seconds, then had a turnover that cost Houston a chance to try to win the game after Clark made one of two free throws after rebounding Gray's miss.

Corey Davis Jr., who had 15 points for Houston, went scoreless after helping the Cougars to a 37-35 halftime lead. Devin Davis added 13, including a jumper and layup that turned a one-point deficit into a 55-52 lead with 1:34 remaining.

Kyle Washington's 3-pointer tied the game for the final time, setting the stage for a suspenseful finish.

Houston made just 6 of 30 shots in the second half. Gray finished six of 22 from the field after scoring 33 in the Cougars' victory over Wichita State in the semifinals. His unforced error, a wild pass behind teammate Galen Robinson Jr., sailed out of bounds with 1 second left.

Cincinnati didn't shoot the ball much better after halftime, going six for 18. That didn't stop the Bearcats from getting it done on the other end, though.

The Bearcats rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Memphis 70-60 in Saturday's semifinals, outscoring the Tigers 41-18 in the final 20 minutes.

Houston becomes the fourth team coach Kelvin Sampson has led to the NCAA Tournament, joining Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana. The Cougars appeared in the NIT the past two seasons.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, will receive its eighth straight NCAA berth under coach Mick Cronin, who is in his 12th season with the Bearcats.

BIG PICTURE

Houston: The Cougars, who have won 12 of 15 following a 2-2 start to January, are one of the hottest teams in the country. That could make them dangerous entering the NCAA Tournament.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats have been projected to be as high as a No. 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That would be a first for the AAC, which has never had a team seeded higher than fourth (Louisville, 2014).

UP NEXT

Houston: Cougars await NCAA Tournament bid.

Cincinnati: Bearcats also await word on who they'll face in their opening game.

Harvard: 2014-15 Ivy League Basketball Champions

PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Moundou-Missi hit a 15-foot jumper with 7.2 seconds left, Wesley Saunders scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and Harvard beat Yale 53-51 on Saturday in a one-game Ivy League playoff for its fourth straight NCAA tournament berth.

Saunders then kept possession for Harvard on Moundou-Missi's miss by hustling for an offensive rebound, before setting up Moundou-Missi's go-ahead basket.

Yale's Javier Duren missed a running layup at the buzzer as Harvard fans rushed the floor at the Palestra.

Justin Sears scored 13 points and Duren had 12 for Yale (22-10). The Bulldogs missed out on their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1962.

With Harvard (22-7) trailing by one, Saunders hit a driving layup and was fouled, completing a three-point play to give the Crimson a 51-49 lead with 1:27 left. Duren, who went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 4 minutes, hit two free throws to tie it at 51 with 54.6 seconds.

Yale and Harvard shared the Ivy League title with 11-3 records to set up the playoff to determine the conference's automatic NCAA bid. The Ivy is the only Division I league without a conference tournament.

After Yale took a five-point lead -- matching its largest of the day -- with 14:50 remaining, Saunders scored nine straight points on a three-point play and consecutive 3-pointers to give the Crimson a 36-32 lead.

Saunders, the 2013-14 Ivy League Player of the Year, helped the Crimson extend their lead to 40-32 and then 46-37 with 6:10 left after two more quick jumpers.

But the Bulldogs fought all the way back to take a 49-48 lead with 1:40 remaining when Makai Mason collected a loose ball on the scramble for an offensive rebound and hit a jumper in the lane.

Yale beat Harvard last Friday to clinch at least a share of its first league crown since 2002. But with a chance to secure the outright championship and the automatic NCAA berth, the Bulldogs were upset by Dartmouth in the regular-season finale the following night.

Before the game, both teams were presented with Ivy League championship trophies to hearty cheers from their own fans and lusty boos from the other side.

TIP-INS

Yale: The Bulldogs were involved in another Ivy playoff at the Palestra after sharing the 2002 title with Penn and Princeton. But after beating Princeton in the first game of a three-game playoff, Yale was denied a trip to the NCAA tourney with a loss to Penn in Easton. ... Sears was just the second Yale player ever selected Ivy League Player of the Year and the first Paul Maley in 1987-88.

Harvard: Harvard is the first Ivy League team to reach four straight NCAA Tournaments since Princeton from 1989 to 1992. ... Mondou-Missi scored his 1,000th career point on an inside basket in the final minute of the first half. Harvard shot just 8 for 16 from the foul line.

UP NEXT

Yale: Possible NIT, CBI or CIT bid.

Harvard: NCAA tournament.

Sotto Casa

Apra la sua porta, Faccia presto…Non importa

Cosa crede lei Di questo Movimento

Ma l’avverto Che al suo posto

Non ci penserei Due volte,

Dato l’imminente Arrivo di Gesù,

Perché poi non torna più!

Mi son reso conto Che serpeggia Tra i credenti 

Il malcontento Per la pioggia Di mancati Appuntamenti 

Nei millenni, Ma si metta Nei suoi panni…

Quell’incetta Di pianeti

Da salvare… Di pianeti da salvare!

Possa la bontà Del vostro cuore

Riscoprire Che la verità Si cela

Spesso Dentro una persona

Sola E non è tanto Il sesso

A consolare L’uomo

Dal suo pianto, Ma l’amore

Buono Ed il perdono

Santo Del Signore.

Lasci Che le spieghi

In due parole Com’è facile

Sentire Gli echi

Bassi ed immorali

Di comportamenti

Frivoli e meschini

Quali Certi Omini In abito da donna,

La vergogna Che neanche gli animali!

Apri un istante E ti farò vedere io

Che nasce sempre Il sole Dove Cerco Dio,

In tutti I poveretti Che hanno perso

Il senso immenso Della vita!

Non chiedo mica Un regno Intero, Dico io…

Sono un indegno Messaggero E cerco Dio

In chi vendette Onore Per denaro

E ora nel cuore Mette Un muro!

Lei non si dimostra 

Illuminato Dalla grazia 

della vostra Santa Vergine Maria,

Lo chiami pure, se ritiene,

Il capo Della polizia,

Ma a chi conviene

Tutta quella baraonda

Se l’ozono S’è ridotto

A un colabrodo E basta Un solo

Farabutto A fare in modo

Che dell’uomo Non rimanga

Neanche l’ombra… E poi ficcatevelo in testa:

Non si viene Al mondo tanto Per godere,

Ma soltante Perché un bene

Superiore Ci ha creati!

Apri un istante E ti farò vedere io

Che nasce sempre Il sole Dove Cerco Dio,

In tutti I poveretti Che hanno perso

Il senso immenso Della vita!

Non chiedo mica Un regno Intero, Dico io…

Sono un indegno Messaggero E cerco Dio

In chi vendette Onore Per denaro

E ora nel cuore Mette Un muro!

So che sei lì Dentro…

Non ti muovi, Ma ti sento!

Oggi te la cavi, Sì…

Ma non finisce qui!

In tutti I poveretti Che hanno perso

Il senso immenso Della vita!

Non chiedo mica Un regno Intero, Dico io…

Sono un indegno Messaggero E cerco Dio

In chi vendette Onore Per denaro

E ora nel cuore Mette Un muro!