Arkansas Little-Rock: 2015-16 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Champions

NEW ORLEANS -- Roger Woods scored 19 points and Arkansas-Little Rock punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a dominant second half, beating Louisiana-Monroe 70-50 on Sunday in the Sun Belt Tournament final.

Trailing 33-28 at halftime, the Trojans raised their defensive intensity several notches and went on an 18-4 run to take control. Woods gave Arkansas-Little Rock the lead for good at 37-35, faking an outside shot and driving for an emphatic dunk with 15:01 left.

Marcus Johnson Jr. hit an open 3-pointer as the Trojans took their first double-digit lead, 53-42, at the 8:06 mark.

Woods, the tournament MVP, hit eight of 10 shots and added nine rebounds. Johnson scored 14 points for top-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock (29-4), which tied a Sun Belt conference record for wins in a season.

Justin Roberson had 17 points for second-seeded Louisiana-Monroe (20-13), which entered the final on a 10-game winning streak and having won 14 of its last 15 after a 6-11 start.

Getting little room to operate, the flustered Warhawks never recovered after committing four quick turnovers and missing their first six shots of the second half. They hit 6 of 25 after going 14 of 24 in the first half.

The closest they came in the last 8 minutes was nine points, and they could not capitalize on Arkansas-Little Rock's rare mistakes.

When Josh Hagins' pass on the perimeter was intercepted, Louisiana-Monroe gave the ball right back when an outlet pass was tipped off a player's leg and out of bounds.

The Trojans began celebrating after Kemy Osse's 3-pointer from the corner made it 64-50. They entered the tournament with an outside shot at at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament thanks to road victories over San Diego State and Tulsa, but they erased any doubt about their destination.

ALL-TOURNAMENT

Johnson Jr., Roberson and Majok Deng of Louisiana-Monroe joined Woods on the all-tournament team along with Louisiana-Lafayette's Shawn Long, the Sun Belt regular season player of the year.

TIP-INS

Arkansas-Little Rock: Hagins, the Trojans' leading scorer for the year, had five points and went 2 for 7 from the field. ... Arkansas-Little Rock is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and the second time since 1990.

Louisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks had five chances to finish three-point plays in the first half but missed the free throw on the first four before Roberson finally made one. . Roberson and guard Nick Coppola played all 40 minutes, and coach Keith Richard used only seven players, but he said fatigue was not a factor in the Warhawks' second game in less than 24 hours.

UP NEXT

Arkansas-Little Rock: The Trojans will play in the NCAA T.

Louisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks will be in a postseason tournament, probably the CIT or CBI.

Saint. Joseph's Hawks: 2015-16 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Champions

NEW YORK -- DeAndre' Bembry scored 30 points and Isaiah Miles had 26 points and 12 rebounds as Saint Joseph's beat VCU 87-74 on Sunday to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship for the second time in three seasons.

The fourth-seeded Hawks (27-7) locked up an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, though they were likely getting in anyway. The second-seeded and defending champion Rams (24-10) will likely be in the field of 68, too.

JeQuan Lewis and Korey Billbury each scored 19 points for the Rams, who lost in the title game for the third time in four seasons.

Bembry, the conference player of the year, and Miles, the A-10's most improved player, sliced up the Rams' half-court defense with sharp passes, hard drives to the basket and mid-range jumpers. Miles converted a three-point play with 8:45 left in the second half that made it 70-49.

Moments later, two technical fouls on Saint Joe's reserve Papa Ndao for arguing a call gave VCU six free throws that sparked a run for the Rams. They made five and had the lead down to 75-68 when Jordan Burgess hit a 3 with 4:15 left.

That was as close as the Rams would get.

Bembry put an exclamation point on the victory, drawing a foul on a fadeaway that had the Saint Joe's fans chanting "M-V-P!" and with a dunk that made it 85-70 with 1:47 left.

TIP-INS:

Saint Joseph's: The Hawks shot 64.5 percent in the first half and took a 43-34 lead, with Miles (15) and Bembry (13) combining for 28 points. ... The Hawks were making their seventh appearance in the A-10 title game and fifth under coach Phil Martelli. ... Ndao, who scored a career-high 14 points in Saturday's win against top-seeded Dayton, got an animated lecture from assistant coach Mark Bass, who led the senior off the court and into the tunnel to the locker rooms.

VCU: Lewis was shaken up after running into a solid and legal screen by Miles at midcourt late in the second half. Lewis stayed down a while and the Rams had to guard four on five until Bembry scored on a layup. Lewis went to the bench for a couple of possessions and then re-entered the game. ... The Rams won the lone regular-season meeting with the Hawks, 85-82, in Philadelphia. ... VCU has played in all the A-10 championship games since the Rams joined the league and the tournament moved to Brooklyn. ... VCU was making its sixth straight appearance in a conference tournament final, including its last two seasons as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

UP NEXT

Saint Joseph's: The Hawks are back in the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season. The Hawks are in for the 21st time overall.

VCU: If the Rams get an at-large bid, it will be six straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Kentucky Wildcats: 2015-16 SEC Men's Basketball Champions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Derek Willis's 3-pointer with 1:01 left in overtime put Kentucky ahead to stay, and the 16th-ranked Wildcats beat No. 17 Texas A&M 82-77 in overtime on Sunday for their second straight Southeastern Conference Tournament championship and 29th overall.

These teams split the regular season title after the Aggies edged Kentucky in College Station in overtime on Feb. 20. But SEC Tournament titles are treasured by Kentucky faithful, and the Wildcats (26-8) gave fans yet another to celebrate in a game they have lost only 10 times in the program's storied history.

Tyler Ulis scored a career-high 30 points, including Kentucky's final point on a free throw with 8.7 seconds left. Jamal Murray added 17 points, and Willis, Alex Poythress and Isaiah Briscoe all finished with 10.

Danuel House scored a career-high 32 points for Texas A&M (26-8). Jalen Jones had 15 points, and Alex Caruso added 11.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: 2015-16 Big West Men's Basketball Champions

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Hawaii had a very limited window to make the NCAA Tournament.

With NCAA sanctions about to take effect that ban them from the 2016-17 postseason, the Rainbow Warriors' last chance at March Madness for the foreseeable future was Saturday night. Hawaii made the most of its opportunity.

Aaron Valdes scored 14 points, Stefan Jankovic scored all 10 of his points in the second half, and the top-seeded Rainbow Warriors hung on late to beat No. 3-seed Long Beach State 64-60 in the Big West Conference Tournament championship game.

The Rainbow Warriors (27-5) earned an automatic bid to their fifth NCAA Tournament and first since 2002.

"This is huge for us. Honestly, we deserve this," Jankovic said. "With all the infractions and everything we've been through, we told ourselves this year we were going to go all the way. We're a tough group."

Hawaii was sanctioned for infractions committed under former coach Gib Arnold. Its penalties include a 2016-17 postseason ban, scholarship reductions, and players allowed to transfer without having to sit out a year.

Despite those sanctions and a third coach in three years at the helm, the Rainbow Warriors rolled to a conference co-championship in the regular season before claiming the conference tournament title.

"We all could've quit, gone to other places, but we stuck together and stuck it out," said Valdes, who was named tournament MVP. "It means a lot after all we've been through together."

Their resilience showed in the title game.

Hawaii blew a 12-point, second-half lead and was tied at 58, but Jankovic hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:45 to go and the Rainbow Warriors made it stand up.

Justin Bibbins missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer for the 49ers (20-14) with 5 seconds to go, and Noah Blackwell and A.J. Spencer missed potential go-ahead 3s in the final 90 seconds as well.

"I liked our opportunities," Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said. "I have no regrets from Bibbins' look at all. He's our best 3-point shooter and I would take him for a shot to go to the tournament every time."

The 49ers finished 5 for 22 from 3-point range.

Nick Faust scored 17 points before fouling out and Bibbins and Travis Hammonds each scored 12 to lead Long Beach State.

Hawaii held its largest lead, 44-32, with 13:25, but Long Beach State erased it and tied the score at 56 on Faust's 3-pointer with 3:54 to go.

Faust fouled out with 3:27 left, though, and the 49ers were without their leading scorer down the stretch.

Jankovic took advantage and swung the momentum back Hawaii's way with his 3-pointer to make it 61-58, and that was enough to keep the Rainbow Warriors in front in the final breathless minutes.

It was Hawaii's first win in three games against Long Beach State this season.

"The difference this time was our composure," Rainbow Warriors coach Eran Ganot said. "When we needed people to step up, they did."

DAILY DOUBLE

Hawaii's championship win followed a victory by its women's team in its final earlier in the day.

This year will mark the second time both the Hawaii men's and women's teams made it to the NCAA Tournament in the same season. It previously occurred in 1994.

It also marked only the fourth time in Big West history the same school produced the men's and women's tournament champion in the same year.

ALL-TOURNAMENT

Bibbins and Faust were named to the all-tournament team for Long Beach State. Jankovic joined MVP Valdes on the first team for Hawaii, and UC Irvine guard Luke Nelson and UC Santa Barbara guard Michael Bryson rounded out the team.

TIP-INS

Long Beach State: Hammonds also fouled out with 1:06 remaining. ... The 49ers only led for 6:49 of the game and never led in the second half. ... They dropped to 5-6 all-time in Big West Tournament championship games.

Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors won the rebounding battle 35-30. They are 23-0 when winning the rebounding battle this season. ... Jankovic, the conference Player of the Year, played only seven minutes of the first half because of foul trouble. ... They tied the school record for wins in a season.

UP NEXT

Long Beach State: Awaits a possible postseason bid.

Hawaii: Finds out its NCAA Tournament seed Sunday.

Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners: 2015-16 WAC Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Dedrick Basile's clutch shot sent Cal State Bakersfield to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Basile hit a 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second remaining, lifting Cal State Bakersfield to a 57-54 victory over No. 1 seed New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title game.

"It was our night, our turn, our time," coach Rod Barnes said. "It's been a fantastic year."

Basile led the second-seeded Roadrunners (24-8) with 18 points, and Damiyne Durham added 15. Cal State Bakersfield had never beaten New Mexico State, losing their first 11 meetings, including twice during the regular season.

Pascal Siakam and Braxton Huggins each had 11 points for the Aggies (23-10), and Ian Baker added 10.

The Aggies, who never led, trailed by as many as 12 points but came back in the second half. They tied it at 54 when Tanveer Bhullar made one of two free throws with 14 seconds left, but that set the stage for Basile's buzzer-beating long shot won the game for the Roadrunners.

"The great thing about this team, they never panicked," Barnes said. "As I was talking to them, they never seemed to be in a situation where they were nervous or afraid that we were going to lose."

Teammates piled on Basile near mid-court, believing the game was over, but officials determined that two-tenths of a second were still left.

"That's something I always dreamed about," Basile said, "and it just happened."

A long inbounds pass, however, was deflected by Bakersfield, ending the game and giving the Roadrunners a second celebration.

The Aggies, who won the WAC regular-season title, lost in the tournament title game after four consecutive wins.

"When they needed big shots, they got them every time, usually from one of their upper classmen," New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said. "They just produced when they needed to. It was kind of heart-wrenching to say the least."

Bakersfield led for just about the entire first half, combining exceptional shooting with a turnover-prone offense by New Mexico State to take a 32-22 lead.

The game was tied at 10 before the Roadrunners went on a 20-9 run over the next 10 minutes. The Aggies committed eight turnovers in the opening half and compounded their troubles by shooting just 36 percent.

TIP-INS

Bakersfield: The Roadrunners had never played in a WAC tournament final until Saturday's game. They struggled with their shooting in the second half, making just 10 of 28 shots.

New Mexico State: Pascal Siakam, the conference player of the year, never got going. He scored two points in the game and finished with 11. Braxton Huggins also had 11, while Bhullar came off the bench to score a team-high 13.

UP NEXT

Cal State Bakersfield: makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico State: hopes for an invitation to the NIT.

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks: 2015-16 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

KATY, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin had been dominant throughout the Southland Conference regular season. The Lumberjacks were even better while claiming their third straight conference tournament crown.

Thomas Walkup had 19 points and six rebounds to lead Stephen F. Austin to its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance with an 82-60 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -- its 20th consecutive victory -- in the Southland Conference Tournament championship Saturday night.

"There's nothing greater than Selection Sunday," Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood said. "I am an old-school guy, and when they call your name, the hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I get goosebumps. It is something we will never ever take for granted, and for these guys to be able to do it three times is so special."

Clide Geffrard had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Lumberjacks (27-5), who shot 47 percent from the floor. Ty Charles added 12 points.

Walkup earned the conference tournament MVP for the third straight year.

"That's not something you take for granted," Walkup said of the award. "I think in like 10 or 15 years, I will look back and realize how special it is, but right now, it's all about us making the tournament as a team."

Stephen F. Austin has the longest active win streak in the NCAAs. The Lumberjacks have won 26 straight against conference opponents over the last two years, also the NCAA's longest active streak. Stephen F. Austin, the only NCAA team to go an undefeated 18-0 in conference play this season, advanced to the championship game with a 104-68 win over Houston Baptist on Friday night.

"We are a better team than we were a year ago," Underwood said when asked about the NCAA Tournament. "I'm not sure if that will show in our seeding. ... This team is very good. We are going to go in there and not be afraid of the moment."

Joe Kilgore had 14 points for the Islanders (25-7). Rashawn Thomas added 11 points and nine rebounds and Ehab Amin had 10 points and six rebounds as to lead Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which shot 42 percent.

"Tough night, absolutely," Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Willis Wilson said. "It boiled down to little things that they did and little things we didn't do. ... I thought we did a lot of good things to start the game the way we needed to, but we got a little overextended there and had a hard time regrouping."

After Corpus Christi jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 2:04, the Lumberjacks responded with a 35-6 run over the next 12 minutes -- led by nine points apiece from Walkup and Geffrard. The Lumberjacks finished the run with 16 straight points.

The Islanders started 3-of-4 shooting, but connected on just three of the next 14 shots and committed seven turnovers during SFA's run.

"We wanted to make them score through our defense in the half-court," Underwood said. "We really felt like we could exploit them in transition. All of that combined -- sitting down and guarding, limiting them to one shot and getting out into transition and running -- was really what broke that stretch open."

SFA went into halftime up 48-29 behind Walkup's 14 points, and pushed its lead to as many as 26 in the second half.

TIP INS

Islanders: Corpus Christi's lone NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2007. The Islanders have never been to the NIT Tournament. ... The Islanders finished 13 of 19 from the free-throw line. ... Hameed Ali earned All-Tournament honors.

Lumberjacks: SFA will be making its fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks are 1/3 in their previous three tournament appearances. ... Demetrious Floyd had nine points. ... SFA forced 20 turnovers and converted them into 26 points. ... The Lumberjacks were 22 of 30 from the free-throw line. ... Geffrard and Floyd earned All-Tournament honors.

GETTING TECHNICAL

Thomas and T.J. Holyfield were each issued technical fouls with 9:46 left in the first half after a verbal exchange. Ali was issued a technical foul with 1:17 left in the first half for throwing an elbow.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Await possible postseason bid in a tournament other than the NCAA Tournament.

Lumberjacks: Headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.

Oregon Ducks: 2015-16 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- The Pac-12 championship got its marquee matchup, pitting the top two teams from the regular season against each other in the electric atmosphere of MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Oregon turned it into a Duck dynasty.

Tyler Dorsey scored 23 points, Dillon Brooks added 18 and No. 8 Oregon made it an early rout, rolling over No. 12 Utah 88-57 on Saturday night.

"It was just our night," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "Not the game we anticipated, but we just got on a roll and that happens."

Oregon (28-6) won the regular-season title and Utah (26-8) was right behind. They held up through the conference tournament, setting up a matchup worthy of a neon marquee on the Strip.

The Ducks turned it into a flyaway, putting on a defensive show to sweep conference regular-season and tournament titles for the first time.

Harassing the Utes across the court and jumping into passing lanes, the Ducks had 13 steals and scored 28 points off the Utes' 20 turnovers.

Oregon was just as good on offense, shooting 52 percent while making 11 of 22 from 3-point range in its eighth straight win. Chris Boucher had 15 points and tournament MVP Elgin Cook added 11 with six assists.

The Ducks also scored 23 points off 17 offensive rebounds and had 16 assists with seven turnovers to win their fourth Pac-12 title in the second-most lopsided game in tournament history.

The dominating performance gave Oregon its best record after 34 games since 1938-39 and put it in position for a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

"I wouldn't want to play them. I know that," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said.

After a surprising run to last year's title game, the Ducks have become the Pac-12's dominant force, their flock of beat-you-off-the-dribble high-flyers causing matchup problems for anyone who tries to stop them.

The Utes are the conference's rising stars, led by one of the nation's most unstoppable forces, 7-footer Jakob Poeltl.

To become kings of the Pac-12 Tournament, Utah would have to find a way to solve Oregon.

The Ducks won the two regular-season meetings easily, including a 10-point victory in Salt Lake City. Brooks was the orchestrator for Oregon, scoring 51 combined points, while Poeltl was kept quiet, scoring 20 combined points on just nine shots.

Oregon was at its passing-lane-jumping disruptive best in the first half of the title game, flustering the Utes into a string of mistakes.

The Ducks scored 19 points of Utah's 13 turnovers and converted nine offensive rebounds into 11 more points. Oregon had nine steals in the half -- several of those on weak passes by the Utes -- and took 20 more shots (35-15) to lead 38-21 at halftime.

"We lost this game basically in the first half," said Poeltl, who had 13 points. "We just didn't have the energy or the focus to come back from those easy baskets that we gave them."

Little changed in the second half.

Oregon kept jumping in passing lanes for steals and hounding the Utes into mistakes, stretching the lead to 21 in the first 2 minutes to continue the rout.

"We picked up our intensity in the second half and never let them get going," Dorsey said.

LIMITING POELTL

Poeltl has been a tough matchup for every team, but Oregon has found a way to limit his effectiveness.

The Ducks made it difficult for the Utes to even find him in the post and swarmed him pretty much every time he touched the ball.

Poeltl hit 4 of 6 shots, but was limited to four rebounds and had five turnovers.

"If we were going to throw the ball into the post, it was open for a split second," Utah guard Brandon Taylor said. "If we held the ball too long, they covered him and got back in front of him."

TIP INS

Utah: Poeltl had 11 points at halftime. ... The Utes had won nine straight. ... The most lopsided game in tournament history was Arizona's 32-point win over Utah in 2014 and UCLA over Oregon State by the same margin in 2006.

Oregon: The Ducks played in consecutive tournament championship games for the first time in program history. .... Oregon also won Pac-12 titles in 2003, 2007 and 2013.

WHAT'S NEXT

Utah will play in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon will be a high seed in the NCAA Tournament next week.

Weber State Wildcats: 2015-16 Big Sky Men's Basketball Champions

RENO, Nev. -- Weber State knew it would be far from easy. Montana made sure of it.

Jeremy Senglin scored 20 points and top-seeded Weber State beat second-seeded Montana 62-59 in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game Saturday night and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.

Montana's Walter Wright missed a 3-point attempt in the final second that would have sent the game to overtime.

"It settled into a slugfest, which is what we expected all along," Weber State coach Ryan Rahe said. "It was a great back-and-forth game."

Senglin, who scored 31 points in an 83-78 overtime semifinals win Friday against North Dakota, shot 8 of 16 from the floor for Weber State (26-8). Joel Bolomboy, the Big Sky Conference MVP and finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award, was held to four points.

"We were prepared," said Senglin, a junior guard. "Coach Rahe got us prepared in shootaround. Considering it was Montana in the championship game, if you can't get up for that game, then something is wrong with you."

Weber State last made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2014. It's the Wildcats' 10th Big Sky championship.

Martin Breunig led the Grizzlies (21-11) with 20 points, while Wright had 18.

"It's a tough one," Montana coach Travis DeCuire said. "We knew it would be a bloodbath going in. We knew it would be a physical game."

Montana held Weber State to four offensive rebounds and outscored Weber State 38-20 in the paint and 14-4 on second-chance points.

The Grizzlies only got to the line for three free-throw attempts in the game. They converted on one.

With the win, Weber State ended its three-game Big Sky Conference Tournament losing streak against Montana (2012, 2013 and 2015).

"It's about time (we beat Montana)," Rahe said. "To be honest, they've been a little bit of a thorn in our side. But it's also because they're very good."

Sophomore guard Ryan Richardson added 15 points on 4 of 6 shooting for Weber State.

UP NEXT

Montana: The Grizzlies have to wait to see if they're selected for the NCAA Tournament.

Weber St.: Headed to the NCAA tourney.

Buffalo Bulls: 2015-16 Mid-American Basketball Champions

CLEVELAND -- Order another round and more chicken wings, Buffalo.

You've got two championships to celebrate.

Blake Hamilton made a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left as Buffalo defended its Mid-American Conference title -- and pulled off a rare double for the school -- with a 64-61 win over Akron in the title game on Saturday night.

Hamilton's shot from the right wing sent the third-seeded Bulls (20-14) back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. This was supposed to be a rebuilding season after Buffalo lost its coach and two of its top players. But the Bulls are stampeding into the NCAAs again and so are Buffalo's women, who beat Central Michigan in overtime for their first MAC championship earlier.

"Man, it's a great feeling," Hamilton said. "Both teams going dancing, it's going to be crazy in Buffalo."

It's a remarkable run for these Bulls, who won their first MAC championship last year under coach Bobby Hurley. The future looked bright, but took a major hit when Hurley accepted the job at Arizona State and took guard Shannon Evans with him. If that wasn't tough enough, Justin Moss, the conference's player of the year in 2015, was kicked out of school after he was involved in an on-campus robbery.

But first-year coach Nate Oats, an assistant under Hurley, got his players to believe and the Bulls put it together at the right time. They beat second-second-seeded Ohio and then took down the top-seeded Zips, who were appearing in their eighth final in 10 years.

"Nobody was predicting this back in October, November," Oats said. "So I can't say enough about the character of these guys. We had returners, new guys. We had the changeover in the program. What they were able to pull off in Year 1, I can't say enough about them. It's the best basketball we played all year. And we picked the right time to do it for sure."

After Hamilton's shot, the Zips (26-8) had one last chance, but a long inbounds pass was picked off by Hamilton, a junior college transfer. When the clock showed zeroes, the Bulls poured onto the floor and mobbed each other around the center circle. Moments later, they were joined by their schoolmates and fellow champions, who set the tone for the greatest day in Buffalo basketball history.

Two titles. Dou-Bulls.

Freshman CJ Massinburg scored 18 for Buffalo and Hamilton had 14 and 11 rebounds. Nick Perkins scored only 5, but he did a nice job defending Akron's big center Isaiah Johnson in the second half, holding the beefy center to 2 points.

Antino Jackson had 14 points for Akron, which may have to sit home and watch the NCAA tourney for the third straight year.

Akron now must hope its resume is strong enough to get an at-large bid, but coach Keith Dambrot isn't confident his team will be selected Sunday.

"We've got a 28 RPI," he said. "The numbers don't lie, do they? It's all skewed for the big boys. So if Cincinnati or Tulsa or UConn had a 28 RPI, I think they would be in the tournament, but we're not going to get in the tournament."

Lamonte Bearden added 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Buffalo. Willie Conner scored just 7 in the finale, but was named the tournament's MVP.

Johnson, perhaps worn out playing his third game in three days, wasn't effective in the second half and the Zips, who relied on 3-pointers all season, went 13 of 33 behind the arc.

TOUGH OUT

The Bulls lost by six to West Virginia in their NCAA opener last year, but Hamilton believes Buffalo is deeper this time around.

"Don't let us all get going," Hamilton warned. "We're going to make some noise in the tournament if we all get going."

TIP-INS

Buffalo: Became the first school to win both the men's and women's titles in the same year since Kent State (2001-02). ... The eighth-seeded women's team captured its title when Stephanie Reid banked in a runner at the buzzer in overtime to beat Central Michigan 73-71. Reid, who is from Melbourne, Australia, was named the tournament's MVP. ... Former Connecticut star Donyell Marshall is in his first season on Buffalo's coaching staff. Marshall played 18 seasons in the NBA, including three with Cleveland.

Akron: The Zips are one of just four teams to win at least 21 games in each of the past 11 seasons, joining Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas. ... Akron has won at least one MAC tournament game in each of its 12 years under Dambrot. ... The Zips went 15-0 at home this season, 3-1 at neutral sites. ... Dambrot's teams made seven straight MAC finals from 2007-13.

UP NEXT

Buffalo: On to the NCAA tourney.

Akron: Fingers crossed, the Zips hope not to settle for the NIT.

Kansas Jayhawks: 2015-16 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bill Self still remembers the day Devonte Graham stepped foot on the Kansas campus, back when the point guard was trying to decide where he was going to play college basketball.

"I told him when he visited, `You're going to own this place if you just come in and try hard," Self recalled with a smile. "His attitude is just a 10 and I think it's rubbed off on others."

His game has turned into a 10, too.

Graham matched a career-high with 27 points Saturday night, Wayne Selden Jr. added 21, and the top-ranked Jayhawks overcame a remarkable performance by West Virginia's Devin Williams for an 81-71 victory over the No. 9 Mountaineers in the Big 12 Tournament title game.

Perry Ellis added 17 points for the Jayhawks (30-4), who almost certainly locked up the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament by winning their 10th Big 12 Tournament championship.

"I felt like we played well," said Graham, the game net hanging around his neck. "We just have to keep playing the way we've been playing. Play better. Keep the confidence we have. Keep this momentum going."

Kansas trailed the Mountaineers (26-8) at the break before seizing control, and it was Graham who made the difference. He hit five 3-pointers, was 10 of 10 from the foul line and had a four steals while helping his teammates through the Mountaineers' trademark pressure.

"I can't put it into words," Graham said. "It's a good feeling."

Williams finished with a career-best 31 points and 10 rebounds, but the junior forward was forced to carry the load by himself. Jevon Carter was held to four points after scoring 26 in a semifinal win over No. 6 Oklahoma, and leading scorer Jaysean Paige managed just six points while committing four turnovers.

"We came here to win a championship and we fell short," Paige still. "Time to go back to work."

With supporters and protesters of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump trading barbs just down the street, two teams intimately familiar with each other spent the first 20 minutes trading baskets.

Trading turnovers, too. They combined for 24 of those in the first half.

Williams was the difference-maker, scoring 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting. That helped the Mountaineers cover a 0-for-7 performance from beyond the arc and forge a 33-32 halftime advantage.

It didn't stay that way for long.

With his infectious aura and devil-may-care attitude, Graham began to take over for the Jayhawks in the second half. He knocked down a 3-pointer immediately out of the locker room, then curled in two more in quick succession to give Kansas a 51-39 lead with just under 15 minutes to go.

West Virginia's vaunted press, so effective early in the game, had been reduced to shreds.

Attrition and foul trouble also began to play a role. Williams appeared gassed in the closing minutes, and Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. had to play with four fouls apiece down the stretch.

The remarkable depth of the Jayhawks became apparent as Self kept sending wave after wave of long, talented players onto the floor. And no matter what combination he used, Kansas never seemed to get too far out of rhythm, holding the Mountaineers at bay in the closing minutes.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Jayhawks celebrated in a businesslike manner -- as if they had known all along the outcome was inevitable. They shook hands with West Virginia, gathered together in front of the bench and patiently awaited their coronation as the league's best one more time.

"It probably was not the most artistic game, but both teams competed hard," Self said. "They had a guy that played unreal and we had a couple of guys that did as well, but it was a good game, and a game that was tough, and I'm certainly very proud of our team."

ALL-TOURNAMENT

Graham was joined on the all-tournament team by Ellis and Williams, while Iowa State forward Georges Niang and Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield rounded out the five-man squad.

TIP-INS

West Virginia: Williams was 9 of 12 from the field and 13 of 15 from the foul line. ... The Mountaineers finished 2 of 15 from beyond the arc. ... West Virginia did not block a shot in the game.

Kansas: Frank Mason III appeared to hurt his hip, though he never left the game. The starting guard had four points and seven assists. ... Kansas has won 30 games in six of the past eight seasons.

UP NEXT

West Virginia heads home for Selection Sunday.

Kansas awaits a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Southern Jaguars: 2015-16 SWAC Men's Basketball Champions

HOUSTON -- Southern University coach Roman Banks didn't want to say that his team wasn't motivated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game last season when the Jaguars were ineligible to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

He did acknowledge, however, that his team had a little something extra in this year's game knowing what the prize for winning would be.

Adrian Rodgers made a jump shot with 17 seconds left to lift Southern to a 54-53 victory over Jackson State on Saturday night, clinching the Jaguars' first NCAA appearance since 2013.

Southern reached the title game by knocking off top-seeded Texas Southern in the semifinal game Friday night. The Jaguars lost to Texas Southern in the title game last season in a year in which they were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because of Academic Progress Rates restrictions.

"I could see the difference in our practice and our mindset," Banks said. "They were a little bit more focused. You could see the extra energy and the extra push through."

Trelun Banks, who was named tournament MVP, scored 19 points for Southern (22-12), which is making its ninth trip to the NCAA tourney. He was asked what it means to get to play in the tournament with his father coaching him.

"I didn't want to do it for me," he said. "I really wanted to get it done for my dad. For the hard work and things he's been through."

It was a wild back-and-forth game that featured several lead changes in the final minutes. Raeford Worsham put Jackson State (19-15) on top with a layup with 33 seconds left before the shot by Rodgers put Southern ahead -- to stay.

The Tigers had a chance to win it, but missed two shots in the final seconds.

They were very emotional after the game, with coach Wayne Brent unable to finish his opening statement because he was fighting back tears and Paris Collins resting his head on the table and sobbing for long stretches during postgame interviews.

Collins said he was responsible for Rodgers when he made the winning shot.

"It just hurts when you play that hard on somebody and one slip-up just takes the dream away," he said.

Worsham led Jackson State with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Rodgers finished with seven points and 11 rebounds, and Shawn Prudhomme added 10 points.

The game was tied when Collins made a 3-pointer with less than two minutes left to make it 51-48.

Banks made a pair of free throws after that to cut the lead to 1 and Christopher Hyder added two more free throws to put Southern up by 1 before the layup by Worsham.

Hyder stole the ball on the ensuing possession and was fouled. He made both free throws with 43 seconds left to give Southern a 52-51 lead.

Southern hadn't scored in more than four minutes when Javeres Brent made one of two free throws with 4 1/2 minutes left to cut the lead to 48-43. It was the first of six straight points for the Jaguars, capped by a 3-pointer by Banks, that tied it at 48 with 2:18 remaining.

Jackson State trailed by 3 after a pair of free throws by Rodgers with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining. The Tigers scored the next nine points, with the first four from Worsham to take a 48-42 lead with just under five minutes remaining.

The Jaguars missed six shots during that time to help Jackson State build the lead.

Southern led by as many as eight in the first half, but Jackson State had cut the lead to 24-22 by halftime.

TIP-INS

Jackson State: Collins finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. ... Specks had eight points. ... Chace Franklin scored nine points and had a block.

Southern: Scored 16 points off 12 turnovers by Jackson State. ... Southern's bench outscored Jackson State's 15-4. ... Made four of 14 3-pointers.

CELEBRITY GUEST

Jacoby Jones, who made the NFL Pro Bowl in 2012, attended many of the tournament's games this week and was in the front row for Saturday's contest. Jones is from New Orleans, but didn't go to Southern, instead attending tiny Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, before he was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2007 draft.

UP NEXT

Jackson State: Expects an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Southern: Prepares for the NCAA Tournament.

Fresno State Bulldogs: 2015-16 Mountain West Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Back in October, during the Mountain West media days, Fresno State's Marvelle Harris said he wasn't thinking much about being voted as the preseason player of the year.

Honored, yes. But he had one goal in mind: to lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament.

Harris came through, scoring 18 points to lead his team to a 68-63 victory over San Diego State to win the Mountain West Tournament title and earn its first NCAA berth since 2001.

"It was incredible. Greatest feeling I've had in my whole basketball career," Harris said. "It's a big win for the program, community, fans, everyone. And it's just a great feeling. You're overwhelmed and you just kind of -- unbelievable."

San Diego State had a chance to tie the game with 28 seconds left, but Dakarai Allen missed the second of two free throws, and Bulldogs guard Julien Lewis drained four straight foul shots to put the game out of reach.

Karachi Edo scored nine points, while Lewis had eight points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.

No. 2-seed Fresno State (25-9) beat the top-seeded Aztecs for the second time in three meetings this season.

"We outplayed them twice, so we knew they knew us," Harris said. "We knew their scouting report, so it was going to come down to players making plays. And I think in the final few minutes that's what happened."

And Edo made one of the biggest, when he blocked Jeremy Hemsley's shot with eight seconds left. Lewis grabbed the rebound, was fouled immediately and sealed the win.

"You can coach all you want, you better have some guys that can make some plays and get some things done," Fresno State coach Rodney Terry said.

San Diego State (25-9) will likely settle for the league's automatic bid to the NIT by virtue of winning the regular-season title.

The Aztecs were led by Malik Pope, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Winston Shepard, who added 15.

Though the Aztecs outscored Fresno State 38-18 in the paint, they suffered from poor shooting in the second half, hitting just 11 of 30 (36 percent), after hitting 48 percent in the first half.

"As disappointed as we are and I am, I'm 10 times more proud of who we are and what we've done and how we've done it," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. "We had chances. We didn't lose, we got beat. We fought. Fresno won the game."

Fresno State took advantage of 15 Aztecs miscues, scoring 18 points off turnovers, while its bench outscored San Diego State's, 18-13.

"We just didn't take care of the ball like we should have (at the end of the game)," Shepard said. "We should have been better with it."

Though Harris only scored four in the second half, they were big points, as he nailed a huge putback while falling down to start a 6-0 run that eventually tied the game at 52-all.

Moments later, with the Bulldogs down two, his layup sparked a game-closing 16-9 run that provided the final margin.

Harris, who was also the league's regular-season MVP, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

TWO FOR THE MONEY:

With Fresno State's win, the Mountain West's No. 2 seed improved to 8-1 in championship games, and 32-8 overall. The last No. 2 seed to win the title was in 2014, when New Mexico defeated San Diego State, 64-58.

TIP-INS

Fresno State: Harris, who averaged 22.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 steals during the regular season, finished the Mountain West tournament averaging 17.7 points in three games.

San Diego State: Pope averaged just 6.3 points per game during the regular season, but had his coming out party in the tournament, in which he averaged 14 points and 7.3 rebounds. His double-double was just his second of the season.

UP NEXT:

Fresno State receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

San Diego State receives the league's automatic bid to the NIT.

Seton Hall Pirates: 2015-16 Big East Men's Basketball Champions

NEW YORK -- Kevin Willard was being interviewed on live television when Isaiah Whitehead and a couple of his Seton Hall teammates ran up and started rubbing the coach's shaved head.

You can do that when you just led your team to its first Big East Tournament title in 23 years.

"Awesome. It's absolutely awesome. It's beyond words," Willard said. "I'm so happy for these kids. ... They worked so hard, I'm just so happy for them."

Even the ones who interrupted the interview.

Whitehead earned tournament MVP honors after scoring 26 points, including the deciding three-point play with 18 seconds left, as the Pirates beat No. 3 Villanova 69-67 on Saturday night.

Whitehead drove hard on the right side, flipped the ball in softly off the glass and was fouled. His free throw gave the Pirates a 68-67 lead.

Villanova had two more chances sandwiched around a free throw by Angel Delgado, but the Pirates held on to beat the defending champions in front of a sellout crowd of 19,812 at Madison Square Garden.

"This whole year Coach has been raving about just making winning plays and making winning plays," Whitehead said. "I really just attacked the basket. I felt I had an opportunity to score the ball. I mean, I saw Kris Jenkins coming over and I knew that he wouldn't be able to get in position fast enough for me to draw a charge. I just tried to lay it in on him."

It was Seton Hall's third Big East Tournament title, the others coming in 1991 and 1993. The third-seeded Pirates (25-8) earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, their first berth in 10 years.

And they did it by beating No. 5 Xavier in the semifinals and then Villanova for the title.

"Whoever we play just better watch out," Whitehead said. "We really defend at a high level. When we get on the break, it's hard to stop us. It really doesn't matter who we play; we're up for the challenge."

Seton Hall led for almost the entire game, going ahead by 14 points in the first half and 11 at halftime. The top-seeded Wildcats (29-5) finally started hitting from 3-point range in the second half. They tied it four times before finally taking their first lead since 3 minutes into the game when Jenkins' 3-pointer gave them a 67-64 lead with 50 seconds to play.

A free throw by Whitehead 8 seconds later made it a two-point game and Villanova didn't score again, turning the ball over once and missing three shots, including one that fell short at the buzzer from Ryan Arcidiacono.

"We wanted Villanova, we got `em and we beat `em," Whitehead said.

Whitehead wasn't perfect -- the sophomore guard had eight of the Pirates' 13 turnovers. But he was still giving his coach some grief well after the game.

Willard was asked why he didn't go up the ladder and cut down the nets with the team, and Whitehead jumped in.

"He was scared he was going to fall," Whitehead said.

Desi Rodriguez added 12 points for the Pirates, and Derrick Gordon had 10.

Jenkins led the Wildcats with 23 points, and Josh Hart had 17. Arcidiacono scored five and was 2 for 10 from the field, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range.

"Great college basketball game. Just awesome to be a part of it. The Garden was rocking," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We just got beat by a team that played better than us tonight. They played a great first half. We played a great second half, and then down the stretch, they made the plays and we didn't. Some of the reasons we didn't is because they made some great defensive plays."

Seton Hall built its 40-29 halftime lead by taking advantage of eight Villanova turnovers, three off the team's average for a game. The Pirates shot 56.7 percent in the half (17 for 30) while the Wildcats shot 44.4 percent (12 for 27), including 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

"We definitely dug ourselves in the hole in the first half," Arcidiacono said. "They played really well. We didn't execute our game plan. You have to give them credit for the way they played. We grinded. We had a shot to win. We were up two. They called it a block, and one."

ALL-TOURNEY

In addition to Whitehead, the all-tournament team included Khadeen Carrington and Ismael Sanogo of Seton Hall, Hart and Jenkins from Villanova, and Trevon Bluiett of Xavier.

CITY LIGHTS

The Empire State Building was lit in red and blue in honor of the Big East Tournament. It was the fourth time in the last five years the building has been lit in the conference's colors on the night of the championship game.

TIP-INS

Seton Hall: Whitehead has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games. ... Gordon is the only player on the roster who was born the last time Seton Hall won the Big East championship. ... The Pirates entered this season with five wins total over Top 5 teams. They have three this season.

Villanova: The Wildcats were 20 of 38 from beyond the arc in the first two tournament games (52.6 percent). They were 8 of 23 on Saturday (34.8 percent). ... The Wildcats' only Big East Tournament titles came in 1995 and last season.

UP NEXT

Seton Hall: NCAA Tournament.

Villanova: NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina Tar Heels: 2015-16 ACC Men's Basketball Champions

WASHINGTON -- Thanks to the sort of defensive dominance coach Roy Williams has been seeking, North Carolina's longer-than-usual wait for its latest ACC tournament championship is over.

Now the Tar Heels can turn their focus to returning to their customary results in the NCAAs too.

No. 7 North Carolina held No. 4 Virginia without a field goal for more than 8 minutes in the second half to break open a back-and-forth Atlantic Coast Conference final, and tournament MVP Joel Berry II scored 19 points Saturday night, giving the Tar Heels a 61-57 victory for their first league title since 2008.

Since then, Williams had led the Tar Heels to four ACC finals -- in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 -- and lost each one. Even Virginia owned a more recent ACC trophy, from 2014.

Marcus Paige added 13 points to help North Carolina (28-6) win its 18th league championship.

Malcolm Brogdon led Virginia (26-7) with 15 points, but the conference player of the year was limited to 6 of 22 on field-goal attempts, 2 of 9 on 3s. In all, Carolina held the Cavs to 37 percent shooting.

Now comes the NCAA tournament and an all-but-certain No. 1 seeding that often feels like a birthright for the kids who wear Carolina blue. UNC hasn't been to the Final Four since winning its second national title under Williams in 2009 -- which would not seem all that long ago for most schools but feels like a lifetime to the folks from Chapel Hill.

Virginia would have been a No. 1 with a victory Saturday, it seems clear, but now who knows where the Cavaliers will end up when the brackets come out Sunday?

Paige only scored four in the first half but he took over at the beginning of the second for UNC, continuing the resurgence he began in Friday's semifinal. So much for his supposed slump. The lithe guard scored nine of 10 points for the Tar Heels in one stretch, including a steal and end-to-end drive for a layup, a jumper as he curled around a screen and a pull-up floater.

Then Berry got going on offense, while the entire Tar Heels squad displayed the sort of defensive toughness and will that Williams has been begging to see consistently.

After Anthony Gill put Virginia ahead 44-40 with a little under 10 minutes left in regulation, the Cavaliers missed their next 12 shots, part of a larger 2-for-20 rut. That allowed UNC to go on a 15-2 run capped by Brice Johnson's putback layup for a 55-46 lead with under 2 minutes to go -- the largest margin for either team.

Virginia would cut it to two in the closing moments, but UNC held on.

It was a similar defensive shutdown to the one North Carolina used to fuel a 24-point run that put away Notre Dame in the semifinals Friday.

These were the top two seeds in the conference tourney -- UNC finished atop the standings, UVA was No. 2 -- and both teams are capable of playing shutdown defense.

Virginia, best known for that aspect of its game, ranks second nationally in opponents' scoring average at a hair under 60 points, while UNC only allowed one foe to shoot better than 50 percent all season and held semifinal opponent Notre Dame scoreless for 9 1/2 minutes.

So not surprisingly, they were quite good at forcing the other into problems on offense right from the outset Saturday.

North Carolina turned the ball over eight times in the first 12 1/2 minutes. Virginia missed its first four shots and started 4 for 13 on field-goal attempts.

All in all, it was evenly matched, high-level basketball. For a half-plus, anyway.

The teams were tied at 28 at halftime, and were each other's equal in various other ways to that point. Each had 14 rebounds. Each had 16 points in the paint. Each held the other under 30 percent on 3-point tries.

Very clean, too: Only six combined fouls were whistled in the opening half, providing the sort of continuity that's a rarity these days in college basketball.

BEEN A WHILE

The previous four ACC titles had been won by a school from outside of the North Carolina center of power: FSU in 2012, Miami in 2013, Virginia in 2014, Notre Dame in 2015. That drought was the longest for that state in league history.

TIP-INS

North Carolina: Now only one behind Duke's ACC record of 19 titles. ... This was the Tar Heels' 34th appearance in an ACC final, most in conference history. ... Over the past 13 years, UNC has appeared in seven ACC finals -- against seven different schools.

Virginia: This was the Cavaliers' eighth ACC final; they beat UNC in 1976 and Duke in 2014. ... Beat North Carolina 79-74 on Feb. 27.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: NCAA tournament.

Virginia: NCAA tournament.

Hampton Pirates: 2015-16 MEAC Men's Basketball Champions

NORFOLK, Va. -- Reginald Johnson Jr. figured experience gave Hampton an advantage in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship game.

The Pirates, after all, won the championship last season, and South Carolina State hadn't made it this far since a loss in 2010.

Still, it took Hampton until the last four minutes to take command.

"What helped us in this situation was the fact that we won it last year," Johnson said after scoring 21 points with eight assists.

The Pirates pulled away from a 67-all tie with a game-ending 14-2 run to claim their sixth tournament championship with an 81-69 win.

"You get that taste in your mouth and you don't want any other taste," Johnson said.

Brian Darden led the Pirates with 22 points, Jervon Pressley added 14 and Quinton Chievous 13 as Hampton avenged a regular season loss to the Bulldogs on their home floor. The difference, both sides agreed, was that Pressley missed the first game, and was a force this time.

"Von just took over in the end," said Chievous, noting that he finished with nine rebounds. "He was the key player to me because he hands down was a monster in my eyes, and him being consistent on the boards and scoring, that just pushed us over."

Johnson had a huge impact, too, leading the finishing surge by repeatedly driving into the lane and scoring or dumping the ball off to Pressley and Chievous.

"I think Reginald is strong," first-year Bulldogs coach Murray Garvin said. "He's strong as three men out there. He just bulled his way in there and he's got great body control. When you can dribble, pass and shoot, that's what every coach wants."

Eric Eaves scored 25 to lead South Carolina State (19-14), which was seeking its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2003.

"These guys have been here before," Garvin said. "You cannot go against experience and make some of the errors we had down the stretch."

The game was tied at 39 at halftime and close until the final stretch. The Bulldogs used a 14-5 run opening the second half to take a 53-44 lead, but Hampton answered with a 15-4 burst to take a 57-55 lead. The margin was no larger than four until the closing run.

"The normal person in here would feel like the pressure was on us," said Pirates coach Edward Joyner Jr., because Hampton was the defending champion and had been the team to beat all season. "We felt like the pressure was on them. You've got to continue to match us."

Chievous put the Pirates ahead to stay with 3:45 to play, and Johnson followed with a pair of free throws. Gabriel McCray got the Bulldogs' only basket of the final four minutes with 2:32 to play. But Johnson scored on a drive, fed Pressley for a basket and the partisan crowd started celebrating at Norfolk's Scope Arena, about 15 miles from the Hampton campus.

TIP INS

S.C. State: The Bulldogs were outscored 27-9 at the free-throw line and outrebounded 39-28. ... Garvin was voted the MEAC coach of the year.

Hampton: The Pirates' bench was outscored 39-14. ... The Pirates have only two players from Virginia -- Johnson and reserve Devon Oakley -- on their roster.

UP NEXT

Hampton will play in the NCAA Tournament.

Middle Tennessee State: 2015-16 Conference USA Men's Basketball Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Reggie Upshaw made two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to lift Middle Tennessee to a 55-53 victory over Old Dominion on Saturday in the Conference USA tournament championship game.

The Blue Raiders (24-9) earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013 in a defensive struggle that was markedly different from their 99-90 semifinal shootout with Marshall.

Aaron Bacote dribbled once and launched a 3-pointer from before midcourt for Old Dominion (22-13).

That set off a celebration that included Upshaw standing on the scorer's table in front of Middle Tennessee fans at Legacy Arena. He was the tournament MVP.

Giddy Potts led Middle Tennessee with 14 points and made 4 of 5 3-pointers before fouling out. Darnell Harris scored 10 points and Upshaw had nine, including the two biggest.

Trey Freeman led Old Dominion with 17 points, but was only 7-of-23 shooting. Aaron Bacote scored 15 points and the rest of the team totaled 21.

Brandan Stith's tip-in attempt off Bacote's miss didn't fall, and he didn't appear to get it off on time anyway. He sprawled face-first on the floor when it didn't.

Freeman, the league's leading scorer, couldn't come close to his semifinal performance. He set a tournament record with 42 points, including 34 in the second half against Western Kentucky.

The teams traded tying baskets inside over the final 1:11 then Zoran Talley, whose jumper had given the Monarchs a lead, missed this time.

Middle Tennessee ran off most of the clock before Upshaw tried to spin and was fouled by Denzell Taylor as he shot.

GIDDY'S DAY

Potts, the nation's No. 2 3-point shooter, fouled out on a charge with 3:17 left and the game tied at 49. The rest of the team was 2 of 11 from 3-point range.

TREY'S TOUGH TIME

Freeman launched an array of long jumpers and made a deep 3-pointer but got few open looks. He refused to blame the fatigue of four games in four days. "I just had a bad game," he said.

TIP INS

Middle Tennessee: Has won six straight games. Now 9-1 in games decided by three points or less.

Old Dominion: Was trying to become the fifth C-USA team to win four tournament games in four days and first since Houston in 2012. Made 1 of 9 3-ointers.

UP NEXT

Middle Tennessee is heading to its eighth NCAA Tournament.

Old Dominion awaits its postseason fate, possibly in the NIT.

Stony Brook: 2015-16 America East Men's Basketball Champions

STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- Jameel Warney wasn't going to let his final chance at an NCAA tournament slip away -- even with one hand behind his back.

With 1:15 remaining and Stony Brook holding on to a one-point lead, the Seawolves' senior big man fought off his man with one arm, grabbed an offensive rebound with the other and laid it back in to give Stony Brook a three-point lead it didn't relinquish en route to an 80-74 victory over Vermont in the America East Conference championship game.

"A missed shot is like a pass to me," Warney said. "Once the shot went in, I knew were one stop away from making history."

The 6-foot-8 Warney finished with a career-high 43 points, which tied a conference tournament record, and added 10 rebounds and four blocks. He single-handedly kept Stony Brook in the game in the first half, scoring 18 points, while the rest of the team went 3-of-19 from the field. The Seawolves were down by as many as 15 points in the second half, but senior guard Carson Puriefoy (23 points) stepped up and provided Warney with some help.

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The Saturday before Selection Sunday had become something of a Groundhog Day for coach Steve Pikiell and Stony Brook basketball. The Seawolves had reached the title game in four of the past five seasons -- and lost all four times, including twice at home. In 2013, Stony Brook was bounced in the semifinals after winning the regular-season title.

"It's been a blessing," Pikiell said. "Everyone in our league would die to be in our position. I've said, when they play well enough to win, they will. I talk about the 99 things we have done; everyone talks about the one thing we haven't."

But when Vermont opened up the 15-point lead in the second half, there was a sense at Island FCU Arena that it was happening again. Deja vu.

"We got this big chip on or shoulder," Warney said. "We always feel like we can win a game, even if we're down 100."

"My mindset was, 'We're not going to let this happen,'" Puriefoy added.

Warney simply wouldn't let Stony Brook stumble on the doorstep of the NCAA tournament this time around. Vermont tried everything it could to stop him, switching between man-to-man and zone defenses. But Warney answered every challenge, with three Vermont players eventually fouling out. He consistently got in a good position to score, and his teammates continued to find him for easy finishes at the rim.

"Just being aggressive from the start, and coach said before the game to get 20 shots up," Warney said. "Duck in hard, don't be casual with post-ups, playing to my strengths. And I thank my teammates for giving me the ball."

Stony Brook, which moved to Division I in 1999, will make its first NCAA tournament appearance.

"It's been an unbelievable journey. It's so hard," Pikiell said. "All the No. 1 seeds [losing this season], you see how hard it is. People think it's easy to win games. I'm proud of what we've built here."

Holy Cross: 2015-16 Patriot League Men's Basketball Champions

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Malachi Alexander scored 26 points and Holy Cross capped its stunning run to the Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament berth with a 59-56 victory over Lehigh on Wednesday night.

The Crusaders are 14-19 and failed to win a conference road game during the regular season. Once the tournament started, the Crusaders won at Loyola, beat top-seeded Bucknell, won at Army, then knocked off second-seeded Lehigh (17-15).

The Crusaders are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.

Alexander made 6 of 7 3-pointers, more than enough for the ninth-seeded Crusaders to end Lehigh's school record-tying 11-game winning streak.

Holy Cross is the 20th team since 1985 to make the NCAA Tournament with a losing record, per STATS LLC.

Eric Green scored 13 points for the Crusaders.

Tim Kempton led Lehigh (17-5) with 20 points and Kyle Leufroy had 13. The Mountain Hawks made only 8 of 26 3-pointers.

The Mountain Hawks fell behind big early and failed to make a sustainable run until late in the game. Jesse Chuku buried a 3 with 1:10 left that brought Lehigh within one and Kahron Ross kept it a one-point game with a pair of free throws that made it 57-56 with 33 seconds left.

The Crusaders held on from the free-throw line and made the tournament in coach Bill Carmody's first season. Carmody failed to make the tournament in 13 seasons at Northwestern.

He didn't appear to be headed there this season, either, especially after Holy Cross lost five straight games headed into the tournament.

The Crusaders straightened their season out in the conference tournament and became the lowest-seeded team to win the Patriot League.

Lehigh staggered through the first half, missing 6 of 7 3-pointers and shooting just 23 percent overall. Lehigh missed nine of its first 12 shots and that allowed Holy Cross to stretch its lead early to double digits.

Alexander hit his third 3 of the half to make it 25-11 and Robert Champion pointed and waved in jubilation toward a couple hundred vocal Holy Cross fans that made the 4-hour trip to Stabler Arena.

Green, who averaged 3.6 points in the regular season, scored nine points in the half and Alexander also had nine.

Down 11 at halftime, Lehigh started hitting 3s and scored 16 points in the first 8 minutes of the second half -- or, two more than it scored at the break. Kempton had two three-point plays that brought Lehigh within four.

But Lehigh shot only 32 percent from the floor and did not attack the basket as effectively as it needed to win.

TIP INS

Holy Cross: In the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time. ... No team lower than fourth had ever won the tournament.

Lehigh: Lehigh last made the tournament in 2012. The Mountain Hawks had not made the championship game since that season.

UP NEXT

Holy Cross plays in the NCAA Tournament.

Lehigh waits for a hopeful NIT berth.

Gonzaga Bulldogs: 2015-16: West Coast Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Eric McClellan scored 20 points, Kyle Wiltjer added 17 and Gonzaga took the guesswork out of its 18th straight NCAA tournament appearance by beating Saint Mary's 85-75 Tuesday night in the West Coast Conference championship game.

Despite sharing the WCC regular-season crown, Gonzaga (26-7) was not a lock to make the NCAA tournament. The Zags had a few smudges on their resume, so winning the WCC would make for a much easier Selection Sunday.

They took the suspense out of it with a balanced attack and by shooting 61 percent in the latest installment of this rivalry. Josh Perkins scored 16 points and Domantas Sabonis added 15 for Gonzaga.

Saint Mary's (27-5) tried to keep up with the Bulldogs' shooting, making 12 of 25 from 3-point range, but will have to hope its resume is good enough for an NCAA tournament berth.

Emmett Naar had 25 points and Joe Rahon added 16 for the Gaels.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are no strangers to the WCC title game, meeting in the final for the eighth time since 2004.

The difference this time was the favorite.

In the past, it was always Gonzaga. The Zags have been the dominant force in the WCC and beat Saint Mary's five times in seven games with the tournament title on the line.

This season, the Gaels had the edge heading into Las Vegas. They swept Gonzaga during the regular season for the first time since 1995 and entered the WCC tournament as the No. 1 seed.

The third leg of this season's rivalry was an offensive showcase, the teams combining to hit 13 of their first 14 shots, revving up the already-amped atmosphere inside Orleans Arena even more.

The Zags gained some separation with a bit of defense.

Gonzaga didn't exactly keep the Gaels from making shots -- they went 13 of 26 in the first half -- but did harass them into turnovers that set up shots in transition.

The Zags outscored Saint Mary's 15-4 on points off turnovers and hit 18 of 26 shots to lead 43-35 at halftime.

The torrid shooting continued in the second half and the Gaels cut down on the turnovers, allowing them to keep up with the Zags in an entertaining second half.

Gonzaga used a mini spurt capped by McClellan's straightaway 3-pointer to push the lead to 75-67 with just over 2 minutes left and kept its cushion from there.

TIP INS

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against Saint Mary's (63-29) ... Gonzaga has not missed the NCAAs since 1998.

St. Mary's: The Gaels had eight total turnovers, leading to 20 points for Gonzaga. ... Evan Fitzner had 11 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Gonzaga will play in the NCAA tournament.

St. Mary's must wait to see if it gets an NCAA at-large bid on Sunday.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits: 2015-16 Summit League Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Freshman forward Mike Daum scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds Tuesday night to lead South Dakota State to a 67-59 win over North Dakota State to capture the Summit League championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Deondre Parks added 14 points for the Jackrabbits (26-7), who advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past five years.

Carlin Dupree led North Dakota State (20-13) with 19 points, and Khy Kabellis added 17 for the Bison.

Much of the early matchups inside the paint centered on a couple of freshman forwards -- the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Daum for the Jackrabbits and the Bison's big guy, 6-foot-6, 240 pound Dexter Werner. Werner scored nine points for the Bison.

TIP-INS

Tuesday night's Summit League title game highlighted two of the best defensive teams in the conference. North Dakota State has been holding opponents to an average of 64.4 points per game this season, best in the Summit League. South Dakota State has held its foes to a 41.5 shooting rate this season, best in the conference.

UP NEXT

The Jackrabbits will learn their NCAA Tournament opponent on Sunday.

The Bison will have to wait and see if they'll get an invitation to a postseason tournament.

Green Bay Phoenix: 2015-16 Horizon League Men's Basketball Champions

DETROIT -- Linc Darner is speeding into the NCAA tournament in his first season as Green Bay's coach.

Jordan Fouse scored 16 points, and the Phoenix wrapped up a spot in the NCAAs for the first time since 1996 by beating Wright State 78-69 on Tuesday night in the Horizon League title game. Darner took over at Green Bay after leading Florida Southern to the Division II national championship last year, and his up-tempo style worked wonders as his team won four games in four days in the Horizon tournament.

"These guys have believed in our system all year," Darner said. "I think a lot of people probably thought, 'Well, you can't win the big ones playing the way you guys play.' I think they proved everybody wrong with that."

Charles Cooper added 15 points for the Phoenix, who jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first half. Green Bay (23-12) and Wright State (22-13) were in the championship game after beating top-seeded Valparaiso and second-seeded Oakland the previous night.

Michael Karena scored 14 points for Wright State. The Raiders were able to control the tempo against high-scoring Oakland in the semifinals, winning that game 59-55, but they were playing catch-up throughout against Green Bay.

"All year we kept hearing, 'They aren't going to be able to win. That style isn't going to be able to win in a tournament setting,'" Fouse said. "That's just not right. Coach said it from the beginning -- nobody wants to see us when we have to play four games in four days -- and he was right."

Jamar Hurdle's basket capped a 13-0 run that gave the Phoenix an early 17-6 lead, and Green Bay led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Wright State missed 14 of 15 shots during one stretch, and although the Raiders recovered a bit from their slow start, they were down 42-30 at halftime.

"We kept thinking, 'They're going to fall. There's going to be a time that (the shots are) going to fall,'" Wright State guard Grant Benzinger said. "I guess right now it starts to set in that, yeah, we didn't shoot the ball like we could."

Wright State could never cut into its deficit all that much in the second half. Cooper's one-handed dunk on a fast break made it 60-41 with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Wright State was playing in the title game for the third time in four years, but hasn't made it to the NCAA tournament since 2007.

Green Bay beat Valpo 99-92 in overtime Monday, and the Phoenix came into Tuesday averaging 84 points a game. They were held below that figure, but not by much. According to kenpom.com, Green Bay is the most fast-paced offensive team in the country.

Both teams were playing their fourth game in four days, after Valpo and Oakland were given byes to the semifinals. Wright State shot 37.5 percent from the field Tuesday, a far cry from the patient execution that enabled the Raiders to beat Oakland.

Wright State's JT Yoho, who played a big role in the semis, scored eight points in the final on 2-of-17 shooting.

FAMOUS FAN

The Phoenix apparently caught the attention of another Green Bay star. A message on Aaron Rodgers' Twitter account that said "Let's go UWGB" showed up Tuesday night.

RUN WITH THEM

Wright State coach Billy Donlon said he felt his team needed to slow the game down against Oakland, but he was comfortable with a more up-tempo approach against Green Bay.

"Green Bay and Oakland are different animals for us," Donlon said. "We don't have a problem trying to score with Green Bay. ... The way I talked about it with our players was, 'We have to attack this game.'"

TIP-INS

Green Bay: The Phoenix improved to 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points. ... Green Bay lost to Valpo 54-44 in last year's Horizon final.

Wright State: The Raiders led only once, at 6-4.

UP NEXT

Green Bay will hear its name called on Selection Sunday. Donlon said he thinks Wright State is an NIT-caliber team, but he is not really expecting to receive a bid to that tournament.

Fairleigh Dickinson: 2015-16 Northeast Men's Basketball Champions

NEW YORK -- Fairleigh Dickinson coach Greg Herenda gave a timeline on how his team was thinking of winning the Northeast Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"In July it would have been a stretch," he said of a team that was coming off a losing season that saw them drop 15 straight at one point. "In November, December it wasn't a shock to think that anymore. We put Dayton on the board in July."

Dayton and the First Four is where the Knights are most likely headed after beating Wagner 87-79 on Tuesday night to win the NEC Tournament.

"Hey, it's a night in the lights of America and an opportunity to win," he said. "If we win a First Four game, a No. 1 seed has to go down sometime. It's going to happen. I'm not predicting it, but if you come out and guard us we'll drive by you and if you don't we'll shoot over you. I don't care who we play."

That was the formula for success against Wagner.

Darian Anderson scored 28 points and Earl Potts Jr. had 27 to lead FDU to its fifth NCAA Tournament bid and first since 2005.

Anderson had 18 points in the second half and Potts had 16 when the Knights took control on the way to their first NCAA bid since 2005, and the first under Herenda, who is in his third season.

Potts has the same idea as his coach in terms of the NCAA Tournament.

"Whoever we play is going to have a hard time," he said. "We can go and win a couple of games. We're just not going to show up."

Potts scored FDU's first nine points of the second half as it took the lead for good on his 3-pointer that gave the second-seeded Knights (18-14) the lead at 51-47.

They were ahead by as many as 10 points, the first time on a 3 by Marques Townes with 4:15 to play.

Anderson was 8 of 16 from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, while Potts was 11 of 19, including 4 of 8 from long range. The Knights were 9 of 19 from 3-point range.

"We didn't play good defense in the first half but we got it right in the second half," Potts said.

Corey Henson led the top-seeded Seahawks (23-9) with 24 points, while Michael Carey had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Wagner finished 4 of 24 from 3-point range and 21 of 33 from the free throw line.

"We just didn't make shots and their effort kicked up a notch and ours didn't," Carey said. "I think it was effort."

The win was the fifth straight for the Knights and it ended Wagner's seven-game winning streak. The teams split the season series with Potts hitting a 3 at the buzzer to give the Knights an overtime win at Wagner.

The game was played before a packed, sellout crowd of about 2,100 at Wagner's Spiro Sports Center and the FDU fans in attendance rushed the court at the final buzzer.

"I knew our crowd would storm the floor," Anderson said. "We knew we had to make a lot of adjustments from last year to make this happen and we ended up doing so."

The first half started and ended about as different as possible.

The Seahawks opened the game on a 13-2 run, getting the ball inside the Knights' 2/3 zone for shots down low. FDU got as close as four points before the Seahawks again scored inside often to take a 31-20 lead with 3:35 left in the half.

The Knights, taking advantage of Wagner turnovers, closed the half on a 13-4 run to cut Wagner's lead to 35-33. Potts closed it with a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.

Both teams struggled from 3-point range in the first half, Wagner making 3 of 11 and the Knights just slightly better at 3 for 10.

"They made a couple of tough 3s and a couple of bombs," Wagner coach Bashir Mason said. "There's no way I'm going to let our season be defined by one game."

TIP-INS:

FDU: The Knights are the third-youngest roster in Division I with two redshirt juniors and all sophomores and freshmen. ... FDU last played in the NEC title game in 2006. ... FDU's NCAA appearances were 1985, 1988, 1998 and 2005. ... The Knights reached the title game with wins over St. Francis, Pa. and Mount St. Mary's. ... FDU's Director of Basketball Operations is Pete Lappas, the son of former Villanova and Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas.

Wagner: This was the first time Wagner hosted the championship game since 2003. ... The Seahawks reached the title game with wins over Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn. ... The 87 points were the most allowed by Wagner this season.

UP NEXT:

FDU: NCAA Tournament.

Wagner: NIT.

Chattanooga: 2015-16 Southern Men's Basketball Champions

Chattanooga is going to the NCAA Tournament. The Mocs became the first top-seeded team in a conference tournament to clinch an automatic bid by outlasting East Tennessee State 73-67 in the Southern Conference Tournament title game on Monday night. It caps an impressive rookie season from first year head coach and longtime Billy Donovan disciple Matt McCall.

Chattanooga held a 12-point advantage out of halftime, but ETSU just wouldn't go away, riding a 10-0 run to pull within one just 12 minutes into the second half. From there, the Buccaneers played the role of pests to Chattanooga's efforts at pulling away, coming up with timely stops through the second half to keep things close. ETSU's T.J. Cromer and head coach Steve Forbes both drew technical fouls on the same play with four minutes remaining, which handed Chattanooga four free throws to increase their lead to 65-57.

That second half push proved to be the difference, as the Mocs managed to tamp down on ETSU's shooters, who went lethally frigid from the charity stripe, to seal off the win. Chattanooga's Greg Pryor and Tre' McLean led all Mocs scorers with 13 points apiece.

Chattanooga returns to the Big Dance after a seven-year hiatus dating back to 2009. The Mocs enjoyed a run of March Madness appearances in the 1990s, earning four bids from 1993 to 1997.

UNC Wilmington: 2015-16 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

BALTIMORE -- UNC Wilmington won its first Colonial Athletic Association title in 10 years and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, getting 20 points from Craig Ponder in an 80-73 overtime victory over top-seeded Hofstra on Monday night.

The game was tied before a three-point play by Seahawks freshman C.J. Brycemade it 76-73 with 1:20 left in overtime. After a Hofstra misfire, Denzel Ingramdrilled a 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to clinch the comeback victory.

Chris Flemmings scored 19 for second-seeded UNCW (25-7) and Ingram added 17.

Rokas Gustys had 18 points and 23 rebounds for the Pride (24-9), and Ameen Tanksley scored 24. Hofstra was seeking its first CAA championship; the Pride last played in the NCAA tournament in 2001 after winning the American East.

Iona Gaels: 2015-16 Metro Atlantic Men's Basketball Champions

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A.J. English hit a fadeway jumper with 1:39 left to break a tie and Deyshonee Much followed with a driving layup that he converted into a three-point play, and second-seeded Iona beat top-seeded Monmouth 79-76 on Monday night to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title and the NCAA tournament berth that goes with it.

The Hawks (27-7), who joined the MAAC in 2013, were seeking their first tournament appearance since 2006 when they were members of the Northeast Conference. They entered the title game on a five-game winning streak and had won 13 of 14 in a storybook season, the lone loss coming at Iona (22-10).

With a solid resume, the Hawks were still in the running for an at-large bid and the MAAC has twice had multiple bids (1995, 2012).