Alabama: 2021 Southeastern Men's Basketball Champions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Skip calling Alabama simply a football school anymore. The Crimson Tide have courted a new moniker they think fits so much better.

Just call them a Championship School.

Herbert Jones drove for a go-ahead layup with 19.5 seconds and No. 6 Alabama won the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the first time since 1991, holding off a late flurry to edge LSU 80-79 Sunday.

Coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide added to their regular-season title with a victory that helped Alabama match its highest seed ever in the NCAA Tournament. The Tide, which was No. 2 in both 1987 and 2002, is seeded second and will play Iona on Saturday.

Alabama, the reigning national champions in football, won its seventh tournament title overall, second in the SEC only to Kentucky's 31. The Crimson Tide (24-6) hadn't even reached this game since 2002.

Now they've joined Florida (2006-07) as the only SEC schools with both the league football and basketball titles in the same year. Alabama did it by adding two more SEC titles in basketball after Nick Saban's squad won both the SEC and national championships a couple months ago.

Oats noted Alabama football set the new name Saturday, referring to the Tide on Twitter as a " CHAMPIONSHIP SCHOOL."

"So we don't have to be a football school or a basketball school," Oats said. "We just win championships. We're a championship school."

The basketball team now has its sights set on another title.

"I have full faith that we can take this thing, take the NCAA tournament by storm and win the whole thing," Alabama guard and tournament MVP Jahvon Quinerly said.

Alabama still needed its defense after Jones went a long way down the lane for his shot.

Keon Ellis blocked a shot by LSU's Javonte Smart and the Tigers took a timeout with just over seven seconds left to set up the final attempt.

After the inbounds pass went astray and nearly to midcourt, Trendon Watford's 3 was well short of the rim. Aundre Hyatt's putback hit the back of the rim and bounced out and LSU couldn't get another good shot off in the scramble before the buzzer.

That set off yet another Alabama celebration — this time on the basketball court.

"I just know we had to stop them from scoring that last seven seconds, no matter what we had to do, who did it, somebody just had to get them stop," Alabama senior guard John Petty Jr. said. "And we did. And we champs."

Hyatt, meanwhile, was on the floor with his head in his hands. Watford was on his knees and slammed the court with a hand. Smart said he thought Hyatt's shot went in, calling it "crazy" it rimmed out.

"This is a hard one to take, losing by one with that many opportunities to win the game," Smart said. "We gave it all we got. We really wanted this win."

Jones, both the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaden Shackelford led Alabama with 21 points, and Ellis and Quinerly each had 14.

LSU (18-9) hadn't won this tournament since 1980, and this was the Tigers' first time in the final since 1993. LSU coach Will Wade said the final sequence wound up starting too far out but liked that they had the shot from 3 and two more up close.

"We just missed, a little bit short there at the end," Wade said.

Watford finished with a career-high 30 points for LSU. Smart added 21 and Cameron Thomas had 18.

About 20 minutes before tip-off, Alabama and LSU players had to be separated at midcourt. That was just a preview of the taut battle to follow.

Alabama scored the first eight points of the game only to see LSU answer with a 15-5 run of its own to take a 15-13 lead on Thomas' third 3 of the game. Alabama scored the final seven of the half and took a 40-37 lead into halftime.

Neither team led by more than four in the second half. Alabama was up 56-52 on a free throw by Jones. Smart hit back-to-back 3s with Thomas scoring on a layup, giving LSU a 60-56 lead midway through the half.

Shackelford answered with his own back-to-back 3s before Gary's layup made it 64-60 with 8:20 left.

Shackelford hit his fifth 3 with 6:54 to go giving Alabama its biggest lead since the opening minutes at 69-63. But LSU, especially Watford or Smart, kept answering to set up the thrilling finish.

BIG PICTURE

LSU: This was the Tigers' third loss this season to Alabama, but easily the tightest. The Tigers took very good care of the ball with only five turnovers that Alabama turned into six points. But the second-highest scoring team in the SEC couldn't make the shot at the end to win.

Alabama: The Tide's starters had plenty of help, outscoring LSU 28-0 in bench points. The Tide also outrebounded LSU 50-43.

UP NEXT

LSU, ready to make to make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2005 and 2006, planned to stay in Nashville and travel Monday to Indiana.

Alabama will make the 21st NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Tide planned to travel to Indiana after the bracket announcement.

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Follow Teresa M. Walker at https://twitter.com/TeresaMWalker

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Colgate: 2021 Patriot Men's Basketball Champions

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- — Tucker Richardson scored 17 points and Jordan Burns and Jack Ferguson 16 each to lead Colgate to a 85-72 win over Loyola Maryland on Sunday for the Patriot League Tournament championship.

Colgate (14-1) advances to its fourth NCAA Tournament where it's never won. Its last appearance came in 2019.

The top-seeded Raiders, in their fourth straight Patriot League title game, led the entire way in extending their program-record win streak to 13.

"This is as unified a group as I've ever been around," Colgate coach Matt Langel said. "I mean, with everything that's going on in the world they've been able to have difficult conversations and grow as a group. And, you know, amidst COVID and all the obstacles that we face, they just keep coming back for more, and they so love one another."

The Raiders made 14 of 23 3-point attempts for 61%, including 7 of 9 in the second half when they pulled away. Richardson had four 3-pointers and four teammates also hit from behind the arc.

Ryan Moffatt added 11 points and Nelly Cummings 10 for Colgate, which came in averaging over 86.4 points per game, tied with Baylor and second only to top-ranked Gonzaga.

"This is what we've been battling to do the whole season," said Burns, a senior. "It's been a crazy journey, but we're so glad we're the team that came out on top. This year gave us the energy to not take any practice lightly and to just continue to go out there and work hard every single day, and I think that's why when it came down to the end, we were able to stretch that lead and end on a comfortable note."

Jaylin Andrews scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting for Loyola. Santi Aldama, sixth in the country in scoring at 21.8 points per game, finished with 13 points after scoring 33 in a semifinal win over Army. Isaiah Hart added 11 points. The Greyhounds shot 47% but made only 5 of 22 3-point attempts.

Loyola (6-11) came into the tournament as the ninth seed with a record of 4-10 after not starting play until mid-January and getting off to a 1-7 start. The Greyhounds trailed only 38-33 at halftime, but an 11-2 run put Colgate up by 17 midway through the second half and the lead remained comfortably in double figures.

The two teams didn't meet during the regular season as the league split into three regional mini-conferences because of COVID-19 concerns. Colgate, which began play Jan. 2, faced only three different opponents until reaching the conference tournament.

Now it's on to the NCAAs where the Raiders know they have a monumental task ahead. In its NCAA Tournament history, Colgate has faced two No. 1 seeds and a No. 2.

"These guys will remember this for the rest of their lives, so we'll have a couple days to get ready for somebody who's really good," Langel said. "We'll have to put a game plan together. I know that our guys will pay attention and now they'll be super excited. I think we're really good team, we've got a lot of dangerous weapons, and can hurt you in a lot of ways, and so if we can find a way to defend and keep somebody from getting easy shots against us, I think we really like our group and I know they'll be ready to go."

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UC Santa Barbara: 2021 Big West Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — JaQuori McLaughlin scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half to help UC Santa Barbara beat UC Irvine 79-63 on Saturday night and win the Big West Conference Tournament.

The Gauchos have won 18 of their last 19 since losing back-to-back games against UCI on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28 to open conference play and earned their first berth into the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

McLaughlin hit two 3s and Robinson Idehen scored four points in a 10-0 run that gave the Gauchos their biggest lead at 59-44 with 8:22 to play. The Anteaters, who had their six-game win streak snapped, trailed by double figures the rest of the way.

Miles Norris added 19 points and Amadou Sow had 13 points and 11 rebounds for UCSB.

Collin Welp lead UCI (18-9) with 22 points and DJ Davis added 11.

UCSB, which led for 37 minutes, 31 seconds, committed a season-low tying seven turnovers and scored 18 points off 10 Anteaters miscues.

The Gauchos shot 56.7% from the field in the second half and made 29 of 58 overall.

UC Irvine won the regular season and conference tournament crowns to earn a No. 13 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Anteaters beat No. 4 seed Kansas State before losing to Oregon in the second round.

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Oregon State: 2021 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — Wayne Tinkle shuffled across toward the sideline, the streamers wrapped around his ankles creating a confetti wake. Remnants from a cut-down net dangled around his neck as the Oregon State coach heaved the game ball into the stands.

On the receiving end was his son and former player, Tres, sitting among other family members.

All those years of building, the ups and downs of a pandemic-altered season, and the Beavers were finally champions.

Picked to finish last, Oregon State is a conference champion for the first time, winning the Pac-12 Tournament title by holding off No. 23 Colorado 70-68 Saturday night.

"This has been the most emotional year in my life and probably for all of us," Tinkle said. "It's just incredible that we have gotten to this level and we know why we have. It's a pretty neat deal."

Needing three wins in three days to end a four-year NCAA Tournament drought, the Beavers (17-12) built confidence with each step along The Strip.

Oregon State opened its first conference title game in 33 years with a flurry of 3-pointers and withstood a late push by Colorado (22-8) to become the first Pac-10/12 team to win the conference title after being picked to finish last.

Maurice Calloo gave the Beavers a huge boost with leading scorer Ethan Thompson in foul trouble, scoring 15 points after managing 10 the eight previous games combined.

"We have been through a lot of ups and downs as a team and we were able to overcome it," Calloo said. "Today it shows that when we stick together we can achieve anything."

Oregon State's gritty display put a damper on Colorado's bid for its first Pac-12 Tournament title since 2012. The Buffaloes should hear their named get called on Selection Sunday, but Pac-12 champions would have had a nicer ring to it heading to Indianapolis.

Colorado pulled within 68-66 on McKinley Wright IV's 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds left and had a chance when Oregon State's Roman Silva hit 1 of 2 free throws. Wright's halfcourt heave sailed over the backboard, sending the Beavers charging onto the floor.

Wright led Colorado with 18 points.

"We came here to win a championship and we came up short," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "They played better than we did tonight. We just weren't good enough."

The underdog Beavers were given little shot outside of Corvallis, overlooked, underappreciated and picked to look up at the rest of the league.

Tinkle promised his team wouldn't finish last and they proved him right, entering the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Beavers clawed their way out of a 16-point hole to beat UCLA in the conference tournament opener and upended top-seeded Oregon in the semifinals.

Oregon State opened the title game with a 3-point spree, hitting six of its first nine and had an early nine-point lead. A cooling trend followed, yet the Beavers still made half their shots for 33-28 halftime lead.

Oregon State kept making shots — mostly inside — and survived a six-minute stretch with Thompson on the bench to stay in front. The Beavers had some tense moments late, but can call themselves conference tournament champions for the first time.

"When you're patient, when you stay together, when you roll with the punches, eventually this is what it leads to and we have proven that," Tinkle said.

Colorado was picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll despite the return of Wright, one of the toughest, steadiest guards in college basketball.

Behind Wright and big man Evan Battey, Colorado finished third in the Pac-12, then had a pair of down-to-the-wire wins over California and No. 23 USC in the conference tournament.

The Buffaloes had a hard time slowing the Beavers in the title game, but also hit half their shots (13 of 26) to stay within reach at halftime.

Wright helped keep Colorado within reach down to the wire, but the Buffalos made too many mistakes down the stretch and came up one shot short.

"Collectively, probably we were playing a little uptight and we just failed on some of those turnovers and bad shots," said Battey, who had 16 points.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon State completed an unexpected run to its first conference title with confident game against one of the Pac-12's best defensive teams.

The Buffaloes kept hanging around after falling behind early and nearly pulled off the comeback.

CALLOO'S LIFT

Calloo had a breakout game when Oregon State needed it most.

The 6-foot-10 junior was a starter early in the season, but had been mostly a complementary player during the Pac-12 season.

With Thompson limited to seven points, Calloo helped push the Beavers the lead and hit 6 of 11 shots overall.

"It's not easy when you go somewhere because you want to be a big part of it, but to his credit he never went south on us," Tinkle said "He continued to work to try to get better every day."

UP NEXT

Oregon State will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

Colorado also should get an NCAA Tournament nod.

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Grand Canyon: 2021 Western Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — Jovan Blacksher Jr. had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Grand Canyon earned its first bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 74-56 win over New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference tournament championship on Saturday night.

The top-seeded Antelopes (17-6) took the lead for good during a 12-0 run that ended at 19-9 on Oscar Frayer's layup. Grand Canyon's 7-0 run late in the half pushed the lead into double digits for good.

The Antelopes entered the game ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 37.7% and held No. 3 seed New Mexico State to 36.4% on 20-of-55 shooting. The Aggies attempted 32 shots from 3-point range, making nine of them.

Asbjorn Midtgaard added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Mikey Dixon scored 10 points for the Lopes.

Evan Gilyard II had 18 points, Jabari Rice scored 12 and Donnie Tillman added 11 for the Aggies (12-8).

Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew, in his first year with the Lopes, was in the NCAA Tournament exactly 23 years ago when he made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Valparaiso to beat 10th-ranked Mississippi.

The Antelopes lost to New Mexico State in the previous two WAC championship games in 2018 and 2019. The Aggies won the previous three championships and seven of the last eight.

But the disruptions of the 2020-21 season were especially acute for New Mexico State, which spent over two months at the Arizona Grand Resort and finished the season without a game on its home court.

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Abilene Christian: 2021 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

KATY – Abilene Christian is going dancing – again.

The Wildcats blasted Nicholls State 79-45 to defend their Southland Conference men’s basketball tournament title Saturday night at the Merrell Center.

Damien Daniels and Joe Pleasant scored 13 points each, while Coryon Mason and Reggie Miller added 11 apiece. Miller finished with a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds as the Wildcats (23-4) nabbed the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“Just really proud of our guys, man,” ACU coach Joe Golding said. “I think we came down here and for 80 minutes we really defended, we really guarded. That’s our identity. That’s who we are. Offensively, we were able to make some shots, shared the basketball. There were sometimes where we’ve got to clean some stuff up.

“But, I’m just super proud of this group. This group has been special from the start. This year has been tough for a lot of different reasons. Man, this group has made this year as fun as any year I’ve been part of.”

Daniels, who provided an offensive spark, while pushing the offense up court at a fast paced, was named the tournament MVP. Pleasant, Miller and San Angelo Central grad Kolton Kohl joined Daniels on the all-tournament team.

“Damien did some good things tonight,” Pleasant said. “I know what Damien’s capable of. He can make plays with his shots. We’re all very confident in him and the things he showed tonight. He just did out there what he’s capable of.”

Golding also praised Miller, who has been the catalyst for one of the nation’s best defensive teams.

“This dude right here, he’s been waiting for the team to be his team, and this is Reggie Miller’s team,” Golding said. “He’s the heartbeat and soul of this team. He’s a winner, man. I’m a good coach because of these two. It’s a happy moment for our team, our program, our university.”

Ty Gordon led Nicholls (18-7) with 16 points, and Kevin Johnson had 11 as the top-seeded Colonels had their eight-game win streak snapped by the No. 2 seed Wildcats. Nicholls had won 16 of its last 17 games before Saturday’s loss.

ACU won the conference tournament in 2019 to earn its first trip to the Division I NCAA men’s basketball tournament. There was no tournament last season because of COVID-19.

Another fast start

Just like in Friday’s 93-71 victory over Lamar in the tournament semifinals, ACU got off to a quick start and never trailed in remaining undefeated at the tournament in their last two trips. The Wildcats had a 13-5 lead in the first five minutes and pushed it to 11 (21-10) on Kolton Kohl’s jumper with 11:26 left in the half. ACU led 32-14, before the Colonels made a run, whittling the lead down to five (36-31) at halftime.

So, what did Golding tell his team at halftime?

“Quit turning the ball over,” Golding said about the team’s sloppy finish to the first half.

Added Pleasant: “We had to get back to us. Basketball is a game of runs. We had to make sure we got back to us, lock in defensively, as coach said, take care of the ball and take the right shots. Take shots that we practice and work on. Just lock in defensively, get some stops.”

The Wildcats opened the second half with a 13-2 run, and Nicholls never threatened again – scoring just 14 points in the second half on 6 of 33 shooting.

Validation for 'Cats

This was one of the worst Division I programs in the nation when ACU first made the jump from Division II the 2013-14 season. But now the Wildcats have posted three consecutive 20-win seasons, winning 70 games in that span, and won the league tournament two of the last three years they’ve been able to play in Katy.

Golding said his team has proven that 2018-19 season was no fluke with its last two seasons.

“I thought last year we validated it,” Golding said. “It was hard for (Payten) Ricks, Trey (Lenox) and (Hayden) Howell. Those were the three (seniors) that didn’t get a chance to play. I think this year validated us also. We’re building a real program. It has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with these two guys (Pleasant and Miller, who joined him on the post-game podium) and that locker room. We have a special group, special dudes that work hard. They let us coach them really, really hard, and we love on them harder off the floor. It’s just special. We’ve got something unique going here, and it’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”

Now, ACU will get a chance to once again get a taste of March Madness, although it will be different this year. All games will be played in Indiana, most in Indianapolis, in effort to create a safe bubble in the COVID-19 era.

“We have no idea what it’s going to look like down there,” Golding said. “But we’re going to get to experience it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to do this with everything going on. So, it will something these kids will be able to look back on when it’s talked about and say there were a part of that.”

The NCAA will announce its 68-team field and matchups at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Wildcats drew No. 2 Kentucky in the 2019 NCAA Tournament and lost that first-round game 79-44 in Jacksonville, Florida.

This is ACU’s last season in the Southland Conference. The school, along with Southland members Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston and Lamar, will play in the Western Athletic Conference next season.

“I just want to thank the Southland Conference,” Golding said. “They gave us the opportunity to go Division I basketball six or seven years ago, whatever it was, and ACU was just a little old DII school out in West Texas. They gave us the opportunity to be a member of this league. We take a lot of pride in that. We will play with heart with the Southland Conference across our chest. … They gave our university to put ourselves on the map, and we’re forever indebted to the Southland Conference.”

Joey D. Richards covers Abilene high schools and colleges, Big Country schools and other local sports. Follow him at Twitter at ARN_Joey. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

Southland Conference Basketball Tournament

At Merrell Center, Katy

MEN

Tuesday’s Games

Game 1 – No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana 71, No. 9 McNeese 68

Game 2 – No. 10 Houston Baptist 80, No. 7 Incarnate Word 68

Wednesday’s Games

Game 3 – No. 5 New Orleans 80, No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana 63

Game 4 – No. 6 Lamar 62, No. 10 Houston Baptist 52

Thursday’s Games

Game 5 – No. 4 Northwestern State 82, No. 5 New Orleans 79

Game 6 – No. 6 Lamar 70, No. 3 Sam Houston 69

Friday’s Games

Semifinals

Game 7 – No. 1 Nicholls 88, No. 4 Northwestern State 76

Game 8 – No. 2 Abilene Christian 93, No. 6 Lamar 71

Saturday’s Game

Championship

Game 9 – No. 2 Abilene Christian 79, No. 1 Nicholls 45

Conference USA: 2021 Men's Basketball Champions

FRISCO, Texas -- — Javion Hamlet scored six of his 20 points after regulation, including the go-ahead basket with 13.9 seconds left, and North Texas beat Western Kentucky 61-57 in overtime on Saturday night to win the Conference USA Tournament title game.

The Mean Green (17-9) earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament, their first since winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament in 2010.

Mardrez McBride added 13 points and Zachary Simmons 12 for North Texas.

WKU's Jordan Rawls hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in OT and there were three lead changes and three ties before Hamlet's left-handed runner in the lane made it 59-57. Thomas Bell blocked a potential tying layup attempt by Taveion Hollingsworth with four seconds left before James Reese made two free throws to cap the scoring.

Josh Anderson scored 14 points and Charles Bassey added 13 points and 11 rebounds for WKU (20-7).

The Mean Green jumped to a 17-0 lead about five minutes into the game as WKU missed its first eight shots, and McBride hit a 3-pointer to give the Mean Green a 10-point lead with 15 minutes left in the second half. But Anderson answered with a jumper before Bassey scored nine straight points to spark a 19-2 run that gave WKU a 48-41 lead — its first of the game — about 12 minutes later after Anderson capped the spurt with six consecutive points.

The Hilltoppers, who fell to 23-7 all-time against North Texas, used a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by McBride to close regulation and force OT.

Western Kentucky has lost each of the last three C-USA title games, falling to Marshall in 2018 and Old Dominion in 2019. The 2020 conference tournament was canceled after the first round due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Georgia Tech: 2021 Atlantic Coast Men's Basketball Champions

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- — Jose Alvarado couldn't contain his emotions as the horn sounded, collapsing in disbelief as his Georgia Tech teammates mobbed each other near midcourt.

He quickly ran to the celebration that included coach Josh Pastner — still sporting that can't-miss-it clear face shield.

"Coach, you're a champion, man!" Alvarado yelled as he joined him for a postgame TV interview amid fallen-from-the-rafters balloons and confetti.

The Yellow Jackets have their first Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title in nearly three decades after beating No. 15 Florida State 80-75 in Saturday night's championship game. Just as importantly, they've secured an automatic NCAA Tournament berth to end an 11-year drought.

"A lot of emotions: joy, happiness, everything," said Michael Devoe, the tournament MVP. "I mean, this goes down in history for us."

Devoe scored 20 points for the fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets (17-8), who shot 52% after halftime and repeatedly capitalized on mistakes by the Seminoles to win their first ACC Tournament crown since 1993 and fourth overall.

ACC player of the year Moses Wright and Jordan Usher each had 11 of their 15 points after halftime for Georgia Tech, which got off to an 0-2 start this season with home losses to Georgia State and Mercer. The Yellow Jackets stood 9-8 after a loss at Clemson on a last-second shot Feb. 12 to find themselves facing bubble uncertainty.

But they haven't lost since. And there's no doubt about the NCAA tourney now after a remarkable climb, not after a strong finish against the second-seeded Seminoles (16-6).

"Our guys have just scrapped, fought, kicked, clawed — whatever they had to do to find a way to get wins this year," Pastner said. "And I'm just so darn proud of these young men."

Scottie Barnes had 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Florida State, which shot 56% but committed 25 turnovers that led to 31 points for the Yellow Jackets.

They came in all kinds of ways, from the Seminoles bobbling catches and having passes deflected to just throwing balls straight out of bounds. The 25 turnovers fell one shy of tying a tournament title-game record since the league began tracking the number in 1961, while Georgia Tech's 15 steals — five by Alvarado — was a title-game record since the league began charting it in 1976.

"We did turn the ball over a couple of times ourselves, what we call self-inflicted turnovers," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "But for the most part, I think that they forced us into turnovers. ... I want to give them credit because they did an unbelievable job of just stripping us from the ball, and their defense created a mindset with us where we were unsure as to what we were supposed to do."

The Yellow Jackets avoided such trouble with just seven turnovers. But they were particularly steady down the stretch, making six of eight shots over the final eight minutes as well as 11 of 12 free throws in the final 90 seconds.

That included Alvarado knocking down a pair with nine seconds left after shaking off a hard fall, which had come right after Barnes' 3 pulled the Seminoles to 76-73.

The only thing that didn't go according to plan was the Yellow Jackets' celebration. Alvarado stripped RayQuan Evans and fed Devoe for a layup with 0.6 seconds left, but the Georgia Tech players began spilling onto the court early to celebrate. That led to a technical foul and two free throws for FSU, though the outcome was decided and the Georgia Tech party had begun.

Pastner kept that face shield in place, too, even as he stood atop a ladder — socially distanced from his team below — and cut down the final strands of net.

It was an unusual final pairing in a tournament altered by the coronavirus pandemic. No. 16 Virginia and Duke withdrew after positive COVID-19 tests within their programs. The title matchup marked the second finale without a North Carolina-based team, the other being Georgia Tech's win against Virginia in 1990.

Now the Yellow Jackets finally have another.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets had won seven straight, including Thursday against Miami in the quarterfinals. Then their semifinal matchup with the Cavaliers was canceled to give them an unexpected off day before the final. They didn't shoot well from outside (5 for 23 on 3-pointers) but still won in their first title-game appearance since 2010.

Florida State: The Seminoles had a delayed tournament debut when their scheduled quarterfinal against the Blue Devils was called off, but they pushed past North Carolina in Friday's semifinals by locking down defensively in the final four minutes to close it out. They found themselves in another tough finish despite all the turnovers, though this time they couldn't keep the Yellow Jackets from getting to the line or scoring timely baskets.

UP NEXT

Both the Seminoles and Yellow Jackets will find out their NCAA Tournament seeding Sunday.

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Eastern Washington: 2021 Big Sky Men's Basketball Champions

BOISE, Idaho -- — Jacob Groves had 15 points, Tanner Groves added 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Eastern Washington earned its third NCAA Tournament bid in program history and first since 2015 with a 65-55 win over Montana State on Saturday night in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game.

The No. 2 seed Eagles (16-7) opened the game with a 20-3 lead, making eight of their first 12 shots while the No. 5 seed Bobcats (13-10) made one of their first nine shots.

Eastern Washington had its largest lead at 29-9 and led 35-17 before Montana State closed the deficit to 14 by halftime.

Montana State missed its first 12 3-point attempts. Nick Gazelas broke the ice with a 3 that cut the deficit to 51-41 with 9:19 remaining and, at 60-51 with 4:41 left, Montana State got within single digits for the first time since the first five minutes of the game.

But the Eagles immediately pushed the lead back into double digits and effectively stretched out their possessions while getting the stops they needed to hold on.

Michael Meadows scored 12 and Kim Aiken Jr. added nine points and 10 rebounds for Eastern Washington.

Abdul Mohamed had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Jubrile Belo had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Montana State.

Eagles coach Shantay Legans earned his first trip to the NCAA Tournament in his fourth season. Eastern Washington lost to Montana in the Big Sky championship game in 2018 and 2019.

It has been 25 years since Montana State's last trip to the NCAA Tournament when Bobcats coach Danny Sprinkle was a freshman for Montana State and scored 30 points in the 1996 Big Sky championship game.

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Ohio: 2021 Mid-American Men's Basketball Champions

Jeff Boals and the Ohio Bobcats are going dancing.

In the former Ohio State assistant coach's second season as Ohio's head coach, the Bobcats won the MAC Tournament, earning an automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

As the No. 5 seed in the MAC Tournament, the Bobcats beat three of the top four teams in the conference's regular-season standings – No. 4 seed Kent State, No. 1 seed Toledo and finally, No. 2 seed Buffalo – to win the conference championship and earn their berth in the Big Dance.

OU rolled to a 85-63 win over Kent State in the MAC quarterfinals, then earned an 87-80 upset win over Toledo in the semifinals. The Bobcats completed their unexpected run to a conference title and an NCAA Tournament bid by defeating Buffalo, 84-69, on Saturday night.

It marks the first time Boals, who was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes from 2009-16, has made the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He began his head coaching career in 2016 at Stony Brook, where he spent three seasons before getting the job at Ohio, his alma mater.

Georgetown: 2021 Big East Men's Basketball Champions

NEW YORK -- — Patrick Ewing climbed the ladder — only a few steps needed for the 7-footer — clipped the last string and held the net high.

Georgetown is the Big East champion again, with the greatest Hoya of them all leading the way.

Ewing is taking his team back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 after the eighth-seeded Hoyas completed a surprising run to a Big East crown Saturday night with a stunning 73-48 rout of No. 17 Creighton.

On the 49th anniversary of the day Georgetown hired John Thompson, the late Hall of Fame coach who transformed the program into a national power and one of the most iconic brands in college basketball, the Hoyas won their record eighth Big East Tournament title and first since 2007.

Was it fate? Destiny? Maybe Big John, who died in August at age 78, smiling down on now-Coach Ewing and his Hoyas?

"I think so," Ewing said.

Georgetown won with a dominant performance inside Madison Square Garden, reminiscent of Ewing's playing days at the school.

The Hoyas (13-12) closed the first half on a 23-2 run that put them up 18 at the break against second-seeded Creighton (20-8). Then they started the second half with a 16-3 spurt. Chudier Bile knocked down a 3-pointer — holding the follow through for a beat — with 14:58 left that made it 52-21.

Ewing called it a huge step for a program that's struggled to recapture old glory, and began this season picked to finish last in the Big East.

"A lot of people discredited. Talked bad about us. We believed in ourselves. We worked hard. We fought hard," he said.

Ewing wondered aloud earlier this week if they had forgotten him at MSG. He complained that security asked to see his credentials as he was moving around the building where he starred for the New York Knicks and his No. 33 jersey hangs from the rafters.

Ewing said this championship was "right up there" with his greatest moments at The Garden.

"Different chapter of my life," he said.

Bile matched a season high with 19 points and Jahvon Blair had 18 for Georgetown. After missing 12 of their first 14 shots, the Hoyas finished shooting 46.6% from the floor.

Marcus Zegarowski scored 17 points to lead Creighton, which is 0-3 in Big East title games since joining the conference for the 2013-14 season.

Georgetown fans, the few dozen that were in the mostly empty building because of COVID-19 restrictions, chanted "This Is, Our House!" as the Hoyas prepared to accept the championship trophy. Ewing carried a T-shirt with Thompson's image on it, his old coach's fist raised high.

"Just to see how happy he is, it makes me happy," Blair said about Ewing. "I'm just so happy for him."

Ewing and Thompson combined for three Big East Tournament championships, three Final Four appearances and a national title in 1984 during their time together at Georgetown.

Ewing aspired to be a head coach like his mentor. He spent 15 years as an assistant in the NBA, never getting a shot to be head coach — until his alma mater came calling.

"I'm here where a lot of people didn't think I had the ability to (be)," Ewing said. "And I'm proving everyone wrong."

The 58-year-old Ewing is in his fourth season with the Hoyas, and up until this week there hasn't been much to get excited about. The only postseason tournament appearance was a one-game stay in the 2019 NIT. At the start of this tournament, Ewing's record was 58-58 as head coach.

Now he is the first person in Big East history to be the most outstanding player on a Big East Tournament champion and coach a team to a Big East Tournament title.

BIG PICTURE

Georgetown: Became the first No. 8 seed to win the Big East Tournament and the lowest seed since Connecticut did it as a No. 9 in 2011. Georgetown's eighth title broke a tie with UConn for the most of any school.

Those 2011 Huskies went on to win a national title. That seems unlikely for these Hoyas, who entered the Big East Tournament with a losing record. But Georgetown is 10-4 since returning from a COVID-19 pause in mid-January, a run that coincided with Ewing inserting Bile into the starting lineup.

"Once you get to the NCAA Tournament anything is possible," Ewing said.

Creighton: The Bluejays scored a season-low 48 points and shot 29% from the field.

"We've got a mature group and I think they understand this hasn't happened to us very often over the course of the last couple years," coach Greg McDermott said. "Once in a while it happens, but you hope it doesn't happen on a night like tonight."

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Freshman point guard Dante Harris scored 10 points, with eight rebounds and five assists, to cap a strong week that earned him MVP of the tournament.

Blair and teammate Qudus Wahab also made the all-tournament team along with Zegarowski, Adama Sanogo of Connecticut and Jared Rhoden of Seton Hall.

UP NEXT

The Hoyas likely give the Big East four teams in the NCAA Tournament along with Creighton, Villanova and UConn.

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Texas: 2021 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- — Texas finally won the Big 12 Tournament championship.

Don't try telling the Longhorns they didn't earn it.

After getting a free pass through the semifinals when Kansas withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test, and avoiding mighty Baylor once they reached the title game, embattled coach Shaka Smart's bunch took advantage of the situation Saturday night with 91-86 victory over No. 12 Oklahoma State.

Matt Coleman poured in a career-high 30 points, Jericho Simms had a career-best 21 to go with 14 rebounds, and the third-seeded Longhorns stayed poised during the tense final minutes to win for the first time in seven trips to the finals.

"This is a gift to everyone, whether they've supported us or not," said Smart, whose future at Texas was in question after last season. "And there's a lot of people that have supported us, and we're grateful for it. But the most important thing is our guys stayed connected, and I'm just happy they get to experience this feeling."

It's the first conference tournament title for Texas since winning the old Southwest Conference in 1995.

"We've earned just a little bit of respect from, well, anybody, you know?" Coleman said. "And not that we're searching for respect. We knew in each other what we had, what we could do."

Freshman star Cade Cunningham had 29 points to lead fifth-seeded Oklahoma State (20-8), including a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, the second of them pulling his plucky team within 89-86 with 6 seconds to go.

The Cowboys immediately fouled Andrew Jones, and he calmly made two free throws to clinch the game.

Isaac Likekele added 13 points and Kalib Boone had 12 for the Cowboys, who fought past No. 10 West Virginia and the second-ranked Bears the previous two days to reach their first Big 12 Tournament title game since 2009.

"It's so valuable having gone through this," Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said, "and the thing I will remind them of probably every day until we play, the next time we have this feeling losing a game, it's over.

"We need to make sure we have an understanding of that."

While the Cowboys looked weary early on, the Longhorns appeared fresh from their day off.

They tracked down every loose ball, were quicker in transition and spent most of the first 20 minutes above the rim with a series of alley-oop dunks. Sims and Kai Jones did most of the damage with their size inside, but the Texas backcourt that was so good in the quarterfinals provided plenty of balance.

Coleman and Co. helped the Longhorns (19-7) stretch a 29-25 lead into a 43-33 advantage by halftime.

"They were the aggressors the whole first half," Boone said. "They looked like they wanted to win. We looked like we just wanted to hang in there for a second."

It didn't help Oklahoma State's cause that it went 0 for 9 from beyond the arc.

Cunningham finally hit the Cowboys' first 3-pointer in the opening minutes of the second half, and the All-Big 12 forward kept pouring it on. Cunningham added another moments later as Oklahoma State whittled an 11-point lead to 52-48. And when Texas stretched the lead again, he fed Anderson with a nifty pass to get within 66-59 with 8 minutes to go.

Foul trouble began to set in, though. Cowboys forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe was the first to foul out, and Anderson joined him on the bench when he picked up his fifth foul with Texas clinging to an 81-75 lead and 1:16 to go.

Of course it would be Coleman that helped put the game away.

After hitting the go-ahead foul shots with 1.8 seconds left in a 67-66 quarterfinal win over No. 20 Texas Tech, the senior guard calmly made two more to give the Longhorns an 83-75 lead with 1:15 to go in the championship.

The Longhorns held on from there for their seventh win over a Top 25 opponent this season.

"I can't even explain it. Nobody knows how much it means for myself and for coach," Coleman said. "Since the day we stepped on campus, we got the whole team here, I looked to my left and my right and said, ‘We've got some guys. We've got the makeup to do something special this season.'"

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State finished the season on a roll, winning eight of its last nine before the Big 12 title game with a pair of OT victories. The Cowboys beat six ranked teams in the past two weeks to build some NCAA Tournament momentum.

Texas is starting to hit its stride, too, after playing just six games in 35 days due to positive COVID-19 tests in January and February. All seven of the Longhorns' losses this season have come against teams that were ranked at the time.

UP NEXT

The teams will remain in Kansas City to learn their NCAA Tournament seeding — both should land around the 3-line in the bracket Sunday — and continue with daily COVID-19 testing before departing for Indianapolis.

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Texas Southern: 2021 Southwestern Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- — Karl Nicholas scored 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Texas Southern placed five in double-figure scoring to upset top-seeded Prairie View A&M 80-61 in the Southwest Athletic Conference championship game Saturday night.

The win punches Texas Southern's ticket for a ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, first since 2018.

Jordan Gilliam and Justin Hopkins each scored 15 points for the third-seeded Bobcats (16-8), Michael Weathers added 13 and John Walker II 10. Texas Southern shot 51% (29 of 57), adding 19 of 27 at the free-throw line.

There were seven lead changes and six ties early but the Bobcats broke things open late in the first half. Gillam snapped a 22-22 tie with a jumper at the 5:08 mark, kicking off a 14-6 closing run into halftime.

Gillam and Hopkins each scored five during the burst in which TSU held Prairie View to 3-of-11 shooting and two turnovers.

Texas Southern expanded its eight-point halftime lead with an 18-8 run to open the second half, making seven of its first dozen shots while Prairie View missed five of its first nine.

Faite Williams led the Panthers (16-5) with 14 points, Jawaun Daniels added 13 before fouling out but was 5-of-16 shooting. Williams scored 18 and 14 to lead the Panthers in scoring in the last two games after scoring 16 combined in the previous three.

Prairie View's other top scorers were held in check. Cam Mack, who averaged 11.7 points per game, took just three shots and scored two points. Jeremiah Gambrell (10.9) was held to 2-of-11 shooting and five points. Prairie View shot 34% for the game (24 of71) and had just five assists.

Texas Southern is 1-8 in the NCAA Tournament, defeating North Carolina Central in the 2018 First Four for its lone win.

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San Diego State: 2021 Mountain West Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — San Diego State lost the last two Mountain West Tournament championship games to Utah State, and hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2018.

It was time to turn the tables Saturday.

Matt Mitchell scored 14 points to lead No. 19 San Diego State to a 68-57 victory over the Aggies to win the title and secure the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

"I know the guys that were there last year definitely had it in mind," said Mitchell, who was named the tournament's MVP. "We kind of hoped that Utah State would be here so we could get our redemption."

The Aztecs, who also won the regular-season championship, had lost six of their previous seven title game appearances.

It marked just the fifth time the No. 1 seed won the title in 22 years.

Nathan Mensah added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Aztecs, and Trey Pulliam also scored 10.

It marked the third straight tournament game the Aztecs had at least three players score in double figures. Six different players scored in double figures in the event, including Pulliam in all three games.

"Our depth was something that was important, and it paid off for us in the end," San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. "I think we had fresh legs down the stretch cause we could rest players. Everybody that plays for us contributes and it's a different player every night."

Junior center Neemias Queta led the Aggies with 18 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots. Justin Bean added 12 points and six rebounds.

San Diego State (23-4) snapped Utah State's six-game winning streak, during which the Aggies (20-8) had allowed just 58.5 points per game. The Aztecs had their 58th point by the 5:53 mark of the second half.

Meanwhile, San Diego State held the Aggies to their second-lowest output of the season, 16.9 points below their season average of 73.9.

In a battle between the league's two most stringent defenses, San Diego State exhibited its dominance with a 10-2 edge in steals. The turnover margin was seven, with Utah State committing 16 costly turnovers the Aztecs turned into 14 points.

Already having suffered a regular-season sweep by Utah State, the Aztecs wasted no time at distancing themselves from the second-seeded Aggies by using a 6-0 run to start the second half and take a 34-24 lead and never really looked back.

The first half was eerily similar to last year's championship game, which saw the teams combine to shoot 19 of 58 (32%) in the first half while scoring 50 points. In this game, the teams were 21 for 57 (36.8%) and combined to score 52 pts in the first half.

Outside of Queta, the Aggies couldn't get much going with their offense, as the 7-footer had 12 of the team's 24 points. While Queta was 4 of 6 from the floor in the first 20 minutes, the rest of the Aggies were just 5 of 18 (27.7%) from the field. Utah State was also plagued with turnovers, committing eight under San Diego State's tenacious defense.

"There's just a play here and a play there that can just change the game," Utah State coach Craig Smith said. "This time around they made just a few more of those than we did. A couple of catastrophic turnovers … we just jumped and threw it, and they get a steal and go the other way. Those are big time game-changers and momentum-changers."

Though the Aztecs weren't as offensively efficient as Utah State in the first half, hitting just 12 of 33 (36.4%), they got better balance with six shooters contributing on the stat sheet.

With the loss, the Aggies now await their fate for a bid into the NCAA Tournament. Though Utah State has looked every bit like a team that deserves a bid, there's never a guarantee with the selection committee as the Mountain West has been a conference denied at-large bids mainly due to its lack of Quad 1 wins. The Aggies have just two Quad 1 wins and one Quad 2 victory. It also has its two regular season wins over San Diego State.

"The top of this league is very strong," Dutcher said. "Hopefully were a multi-bid league. But I know when those doors close and they get in that room, over the years the Power of 5s have won the day. Hopefully that changes tomorrow."

BIG PICTURE:

Utah State: The Aggies came into the game ranked 22nd in the nation with 12.6 offensive rebounds per game, and with 136 more boards on the offensive glass than their opponents. Saturday they finished with 12.

San Diego State: Saturday marked the fifth time this season Mensah had at least eight points and eight rebounds. It was the first time he had accomplished the feat since Feb. 8.

UP NEXT

Utah State: Hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid

San Diego State: NCAA Tournament

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Iona: 2021 Metro Atlantic Men's Basketball Champions

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- — Rick Pitino ended an Iona team photo, a championship trophy as the centerpiece, by pointing toward a ladder and telling the Gaels to clip the nets.

He knows the way.

From coaching perennial powers to exile to the New York suburbs, Pitino has navigated a vagabond career bathed in scandal and success the only way he can: by winning.

Asante Gist scored 18 points and Pitino took his record-tying fifth school to the NCAA Tournament with Iona's 60-51 victory over Fairfield on Saturday in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship.

Next stop, the all-Indiana NCAA Tournament.

"I told them I was packing eight suits," Pitino said. "We have a lot of dirty laundry, and we're heading to Indianapolis."

The 68-year-old Pitino was already the first coach to win national titles at two schools (Kentucky, Louisville) and the first to take three schools (Providence) to the Final Four. He led Boston University to the tournament in 1983.

Pitino was hired at Iona (12-5) last March to — yes, to keep the Gaels among the perennial favorites to come out of the MAAC in March — but in large part to rehabilitate his image after an ignominious end at Louisville.

Pitino had a trying first season trying to orchestrate a tourney bid through a pandemic. He contracted coronavirus and the Gaels were forced to stop four times this season because of virus issues — including a 51-day hiatus that sidelined them longer than any team in the country.

Led by the backcourt of Gist and Isaiah Ross, the ninth-seeded Gaels used a 10-0 run to close the first half at Boardwalk Hall. Ross made the postgame walk through the empty seats and kissed his 10-month-old daughter, Averie.

Pitino, his mask on his chin all game, shuffled side-to-side as if in a perpetual defensive drill, yelled instruction, harangued the officials and somehow in the roll of papers he gripped all game had the formula that showed why in stops ranging from Kentucky to New Rochelle, New York, he landed in the Hall of Fame. Well-traveled — with baggage.

"We've been the No. 1 of No. 1 overall seeds, but with the treatment by the NCAA of me, we might get an 18 seed," Pitino said.

Caleb Green buried a 3 for the Stags (10-17) that brought them to 20-18 in the first half before they faded over the final four minutes. Gist hit consecutive jumpers to kickstart the run and send the Gaels into the half with a 30-18 lead.

The championship game sprinkled mostly family and friends inside the boardwalk venue to liven the atmosphere and there was a nice round of applause when Gist needed help to the bench with an apparent knee injury. With Gist out, Fairfield's Jake Wojcik made a 3 in the second half that made it a four-point game. Gist's absence was short-lived and he hit a 3 in his return to send the Gaels on their way to their fifth straight NCAA Tournament.

"I don't think everybody knows what it's like when we take that pause," Gist said of the start-and-stop challenges.

Pitino took over a program used to playing in March. Iona had completed a good run under Tim Cluess, who made six NCAA Tournament appearances and won five MAAC Tournament titles in nine seasons before stepping down for health reasons, when it hired Pitino. Pitino gave a postgame shoutout to Cluess.

Iona, an eight-point favorite, didn't necessarily need Pitino. Pitino had coached at Louisville from 2001-17 before being fired in a pay-for-play scandal and had been coaching in Greece.

"Louisville is a great program. Unfortunately, some people in life did some things wrong and a lot of innocent people have suffered," Pitino said. "Not only me, but a lot of innocent people that are behind the program and that's disappointing. But I'm the leader of this ship. I said it over and over. I deserved to be fired because if somebody under me did the wrong things, I deserve it."

Iona President Seamus Carey, who met with Pitino in Spain, and athletic director Matt Glovaski ignored the sex scandals and FBI investigations at Louisville and got their man.

"They've benefited from having him in the league and we've benefited from the PR," MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor said. "Now, there was some controversy, but that was a hiring decision. Once they're hired, I work with whoever's there."

Pitino said he intended to finish his career at Iona, calling it "a great way to end a very long career." But there's little doubt the majors will call him again, and that vow of a final stop could instead be simply a stepping-stone toward the next job.

Iona is a school where coaches usually start their careers, not end them.

The Gaels only cared about the final snapshot — Pitino waving the net and draping it around his neck, one more for the championship collection.

BIG PICTURE

Iona: Pitino joined Lon Kruger and Tubby Smith as the only coaches to take five programs to the NCAA Tournament. Ensor credited Pitino for the inspiration behind the MAAC's "Time Out for Black Lives" reading program that focused on Black culture. Pitino selected "A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis."

"For the young coaches that we typically have in our league, he provides a learning experience they would rarely get," Ensor said. "Rick come to us at the pinnacle of his career. He's had all the accolades. Now you have all these coaches with the opportunity to watch him. Sometimes I wish they wouldn't watch him in action. He can be kind of animated on the sidelines and can work the officials like a Hall of Famer."

Fairfield: The seventh-seeded Stags defeated Manhattan, Monmouth and Saint Peter's to reach the final.

"If we keep doing what we're doing, showing up every day putting the work in, we'll be back in this game with a different result," coach Jay Young said.

BACK AT BOARDWALK

The MAAC has one more year left on its contract to play in Atlantic City and Ensor hoped the conference will remain in New Jersey. Ensor said even in a pandemic the conference met its commitment in hotel rooms.

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Norfolk State: 2021 Mid-Eastern Men's Basketball Champions

NORFOLK, Va. -- — Joe Bryant scored 17 points and Kashaun Hicks added 14, including a pair of clinching dunks, as Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 71-63 on Saturday in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid in nine years.

Norfolk State (16-7) claimed its second MEAC title in five championship-game appearances. Its other title came in 2012 when it went on to beat No. 2 seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 7 Florida. This is the first NCAA berth under eighth-year coach Robert Jones.

Bryant scored 10 straight points in a run that gave the Spartans a double-figures lead that eventually reached 16 points and lasted until there were three minutes remaining. The Bears (14-8) got as close as six with 30.6 seconds left before Hicks sandwiched a pair of dunks around Morgan State's final bucket to ensure the Spartans' seventh straight win.

Devante Carter added 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks for Norfolk State.

Hicks had 3-pointer and layup to start 8-0 run for a 10-point lead with three minutes left in half. De'Torrion Ware responded with four points in a 6-0 run but a 3-pointer from Kyonze Chavis gave the Spartans 37-30 halftime lead.

Ware, who scored 35 and 29 points in Morgan State's two tournament wins, finished with 16 points. Lagio Grantsaan added 13 points. The Bears made only 3 of 17 from the arc, missing all seven of their second-half attempts, and just 16 of 25 free throws. They had 18 turnovers, only three more than the Spartans, but got the worst of it in terms of points off those errors (24-10).

Norfolk State held Morgan State's league-leading scoring offense to nearly 18 points under its average

With this win, the Spartans defeated the Bears four times this season. The MEAC split into two divisions because of the pandemic and teams only played within their division, resulting in Norfolk State and Morgan State facing off in four regular-season games. The Spartans and Bears were the second and third seeds, respectively, out of the North Division.

Morgan State played in its third game in three days while Norfolk played its second tournament game after its semifinal opponent, North Carolina A&T, had to withdraw after a positive COVID-19 test within its program.

Hartford: 2021 America East Men's Basketball Champions

WEST HARTFORD, CT — For the first time in program history, the University of Hartford men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA tournament after topping UMass Lowell 64-50 in the America East Conference championship game Saturday inside Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.

The Hawks now await the NCAA Selection Show, which airs Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS, to find out their first-round opponent.

"If you know anything about me, we're not going to [Indianapolis] to say hello; we're going there to win," head coach John Gallagher said.

Senior Austin Williams was named the America East Championship's Most Outstanding Player. In the title game, he tallied 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He was joined on the All-Championship team by grad student Traci Carter, who poured in a game-high 19 points, and junior Hunter Marks, who scored 14 points. Marks also received the Elite 18 award for having the highest GPA of all participants in the league's title game.

"I love Traci Carter, the way he managed the game, and Austin Williams really had a huge second half," Gallagher said. "As we move forward here, we've got to get other guys playing well."

Hartford's tenacious defense limited the River Hawks to 29.5 percent shooting from the floor.

The victory clinched the first conference championship for the Hawks since moving to Division I 37 years ago.

"For our program, what do you say?" Gallagher said. "Four best years in school history. They were firing me four years ago, and rightfully so; wasn't getting it done. We just buckled down."

Oral Roberts: 2021 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Of course it went to the wire. Of course it was a grinder. It had to, because it was a Dave Richman-coached North Dakota State.

The only difference was this time the Bison came out on the wrong end.

Oral Roberts (16-10) won the Summit League men's basketball championship with an improbable 75-72 victory at the Sanford Pentagon, hanging on by the thinnest of threads after the Bison nearly rallied from a 25-point halftime deficit.

The Bison looked dead after a first-half flurry by the Golden Eagles left them staggered and trailing 45-20 after the first 20 minutes.

But somehow the game was tied 72-72 after NDSU's Rocky Kreuser muscled in a bank shot with 40 seconds left in the game.

ORU scored the final three points of the game, though, on a free throw by Max Abmas and two by D'Mauria Jones and the Golden Eagles snatched the Summit's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that begins later this month.

After Abmas made one free throw for a 73-72 lead with 14.6 seconds left, NDSU's Sam Griesel backed down ORU's Francis Lacis and tried to muscle up a shot in the lane. Lacis, though, bodied up Griesel and blocked the shot. Jones got the loose ball, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left.

NDSU didn't get off a final shot.

Tournament MVP Abmas led the Golden Eagles with 23 points.

Kreuser scored a career-high 34 points. Tyree Eady added 15.

Given the firepower ORU possesses, including Division I's leading scorer in Abmas, it seemed unlikely it would be close late in the game.

Led by a 17-point outburst by Kevin Obanor the Golden Eagles overwhelmed the Bison in the first half. The Bison led 10-9 with 12:25 left before ORU began draining 3-pointers and NDSU continued to miss almost everything. Obanor scored 13 points in a five-minute stretch that stretched ORU's lead from 12-10 to 25-12.

Abmas got in the act with a couple of baskets, including a traditional three-point play with 4 minutes left that gave the Golden Eagles a 37-16 lead.

By the time Carlos Jurgens drained a 3-pointer from the corner as time was winding down in the half, ORU had a 45-20 lead.

The game looked over.

It wasn't. Not even close.

Aided by ORU's decision to take quick shots, fewer of which went in than the first half, the Bison chipped away. By the time Kreuser made a leaner in the lane with 7:30 remaining, the Bison had their deficit to single digits at 58-49. A Grant Nelson dunk with 5:30 left pulled the Bison within 63-56.

ORU stretched the lead back to 10 on a pair of three throws and a three-point play by Abmas. But Kreuser's three-point play made it 68-66.

ORU again padded the lead to make it 72-68 with 56 seconds left, but Grant Nelson scored a layup with 45 seconds and was fouled, missed the free throw, but it was rebounded by NDSU. Kreuser scored off the glass with 40 seconds left to tie it 72-72.

It was the end of a surprising season for the Bison (15-12). They lost their top two players, Tyson Ward and Vinnie Shahid, after winning last year's Summit championship. But getting unexpected support from true freshmen Grant Nelson and Dezmond McKinney to help veterans Kreuser, Griesel and Eady

The Bison were seeking their fourth NCAA berth under Richman, including their third straight.

ORU (16-10): Obanor 8-13 2-3 21, Jurgens 3-9 1-1 8, Thompson 5-11 1-1 12, Lacis 1-5 0-0 3, Abmas 7-17 8-10 23, Weaver 2-6 0-0 6, Stevens 2-6 0-0 6, Jones 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 26-62 14-17 75.

NDSU (15-12): Cook 2-8 0-1 5, Harden-Hayes 0-1 0-0 0, Eady 6-9 3-3 15, Kreuser 11-20 9-10 34, Griesel 1-12 3-4 6, McKinney 1-3 0-0 3, Knotek 1-2 0-0 3, Skunberg 0-0 0-0 0, Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Nelson 2-7 0-1 4. Totals 25-64 15-19 72.

Half: ORU 45, NDSU 20. 3-point goals: ORU 9-29 (Obanor 3-4, Jurgens 1-3, Thompson 1-5, Lacis 1-4, Abmas 1-6, Weaver 2-6, Stevens 0-1), NDSU 7-16 (Cook 1-2, Eady 0-1, Kreuser 3-7, Griesel 1-1, McKinney 1-2, Knotek 1-2, Nelson 0-1). Total fouls: ORU 16, NDSU 18. Fouled out: Obanor. Rebounds: ORU 37 (Obanor 9, Jurgens 9), NDSU 42 (Griesel 11). Assists: ORU 14 (Abmas 7), NDSU 16 (Griesel 7). Turnovers: ORU 9 (Lacis 2, Abmas 2), NDSU 11 (three players with 3).

Gonzaga: 2021 West Coast Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — Jalen Suggs hit two late 3-pointers and scored 23 points, helping top-ranked Gonzaga survive its biggest test of an undefeated season to beat Brigham Young 88-78 in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game on Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs (26-0) had been unstoppable all season, winning all but one of their games by double digits as they advanced to the WCC title game for the 24th straight year.

The Cougars (20-6) made the lopsided losses list twice, but exposed Gonzaga's lone weakness in the first half at Orleans Arena: its defense.

BYU shot confidently, using an early 11-0 run to build a 12-point halftime lead.

The Zags responded to their biggest halftime deficit in three years by locking down defensively and getting back to their efficient ways on offense.

Suggs took charge down the stretch, hitting consecutive 3-pointers to put Gonzaga up by nine with 1:28 left. Corey Kispert scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half.

Gonzaga has won a school-record 30 straight games over two seasons and will be the first team since Kentucky in 2015 and 16th overall to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated. The Zags won their eighth WCC title in nine years and 17th under coach Mark Few.

Trevin Knell led BYU with 20 points.

The Cougars were the last team to beat Gonzaga, 91-78 on Feb. 22, 2020.

Gonzaga won the first meeting this season by 17 points, but the second was 82-71 — one of the closest games these Zags have played.

BYU's best chance to win the third go-round was to outshoot the Zags.

The Cougars did just that to start the game, hitting 10 of their first 16 shots to take a 26-19 lead. BYU continued to go right at the Zags, hitting 9 of 13 from beyond the arc to lead 53-41 at halftime. Knell had 15 points and was 4 of 5 from 3.

Gonzaga looked like more the the nation's No. 1 team to start the second half, getting out to BYU's shooters and putting the ball in Kispert's hands.

The preseason Associated Press All-American shot 1 of 6 in the first half, but made three 3s in the opening three minutes to pull Gonzaga with 55-52.

BYU went back up nine behind its defense, but the Zags answered with a 12-0 run to go up 71-68.

Suggs hit a 3-pointer with 2:20 left and another on Gonzaga's next possession to make it 82-73.

BIG PICTURE

BYU showed it can hang with anyone when the shots are falling. Expect the Cougars to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga got a jolt from the Cougars, which could work out well in the NCAAs. Being tested this late after a season full of blowouts could help the Zags if things get tight in the tournament.

UP NEXT

BYU should be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. A strong showing against the No. 1 team in the country should boost their seeding, too.

Gonzaga will be a No. 1 seed next week as the tournament gets underway in Indianapolis.

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Drexel: 2021 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- — Mate Okros scored 14 points with four 3-pointers and sixth-seeded Drexel is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years after defeating eighth-seeded Elon 63-56 in the championship game of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament on Tuesday night.

The Dragons, whose last NCAA appearance came in 1996 as a member of the America East Conference, were 10 of 17 from 3-point range and went 29 of 51 in their three wins.

Xavier Bell added 11 points, and was one of three players with two 3s for Drexel (12-7), which played four games at James Madison's Atlantic Union Bank Center this season and only two at home due to COVID issues.

Hunter McIntosh scored 19 points for Elon (10-9), which had its seven-game winning streak end in a bid to be the first team to win four straight in the CAA tourney. Ikenna Ndugba added 16 points for the Phoenix, who have never been to the Division I Big Dance.

Elon beat top-seeded James Madison by one in the quarterfinals and defending champion Hofstra by 18 in the semifinals.

Elon was within 57-53 following a McIntosh 3 with 1:02 to play but the Dragons went 6 for 6 from the foul line, making them 16 for 16 in the final minute of its last two games.

Drexel is now 8-7 against Elon but they didn't play this season because of COVID issues.

Drexel took a 32-27 halftime lead, making 6 of 11 from 3-point range to 1 of 8 for the Phoenix. Okros hit 3 of 4 from distance and Zach Walton hit one from the left corner in the closing seconds for the Dragons.

Neither team shot a free throw in the first half but Drexel was 11 of 14 in the second when Elon was 2 of 3.

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Mount St. Mary's: 2021 Northeast Men's Basketball Champions

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- — Damian Chong Qui scored 21 points and Malik Jefferson scored 10 with 15 rebounds and Mount St. Mary's stunned Bryant 73-68 on Tuesday night in the Northeast Conference tournament championship game and clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

It's Mount St. Mary's (12-10) sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament. Bryant (15-6), which entered Tuesday's game undefeated at home this season, has yet to make an appearance in the big dance.

The Mount was NEC's No. 4 seed and Bryant was second seeded.

Chong Qui scored nine straight points, but despite that, Bryant cut into the Mountaineers lead and drew to within 54-53 on Charles Pride's layup with 7:20 left. Mount St. Mary's proceeded to go on an 11-2 run for a 10-point advantage with 3:27 left. Pride later buried consecutive 3-pointers, and his layup with 18 seconds left reduced Bryant's deficit to 70-68. But Nana Opoku, a 45% foul shooter on the season, calmly sank a pair and sealed the Bulldog's fate.

Opoku scored 18 points and Mezie Offurum 16 for the Mountaineers.

Pride scored a career-high 33 points and finished a point away from scoring half of Bryant's 68 points. He made 8-of-12 3s but the rest of the team went 0 for 13 from beyond the arc. Peter Kiss scored 12 for Bryant.

The game marked Mount St. Mary's eighth appearance in the NEC championship game since joining the league in 1989-90. Mount St. Mary's won the championship game in 1995, 1999, 2008, 2014 and 2017.

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Cleveland State: 2021 Horizon Men's Basketball Champions

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Torrey Patton had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Tre Gomillion added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and top-seeded Cleveland State beat Oakland 80-69 on Tuesday night in the Horizon League championship for the program's third NCAA Tournament berth.

Cleveland State (19-7) snapped a string of four straight 20-loss seasons this year to win its first conference title since 2009 — when it upset No. 4 seed Wake Forest in the NCAAs. The Vikings also reached the Sweet Sixteen as a 14-seed in 1986, losing 71-70 to All-America center David Robinson and Navy.

D'Moi Hodge added 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for Cleveland State. Patton, who entered averaging 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the tournament, was 9 of 16 from the field and also had four assists.

Cleveland State led by double figures for 19 minutes in the second half. Oakland was within 10 points with 2:35 to go, but Patton scored the next five points and Hodge dunked it for a 17-point lead at 1:03.

Jalen Moore scored 22 points with seven assists for third-seeded Oakland (12-18), which was seeking its fourth trip to the NCAAs — last going in 2011. Rashad Williams, a Cleveland State transfer, scored 14 points to become the fourth transfer to reach 1,000 career points as a Golden Grizzly. Zion Young added 14 points and Micah Parrish had 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Cleveland State needed three overtimes to beat Purdue Fort Wayne in the quarterfinals last Tuesday, winning 108-104 to overcome 16 3-pointers by the Mastodons. After a week off, the Vikings rallied from 11-points down in the second half to beat Milwaukee in the semifinals Monday.

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UNC Greensboro: 2021 Southern Men's Basketball Champions

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- — Isaiah Miller scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had six assists as top-seeded UNC Greensboro earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 69-61 win over seventh-seeded Mercer on Monday night in the Southern Conference championship.

Tied with less than four minutes to play, Miller scored six points in an 8-0 run for the game's largest lead at 66-58 with 1:15 to play. But the Spartans struggled from the foul line, which kept the Bears alive, especially after Leon Ayers III made three free throws with 1:08 remaining.

Miller made 5 of 13 free throws and UNCG was 13 of 26, including six misses in the last 1:15. However, the Bears missed their last seven shots from the field.

Keyshaun Langley added 15 points for UNCG (21-8), which was in its sixth championship game and the fourth in five years. The Spartans will got to their fourth NCAA Tournament.

Ayers and James Glisson III each scored 16 points for Mercer (18-11), which was bidding to become the first SoCon team to win four games in four days since the 1939 tourney. Felipe Haase added 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Bears were in the title game for the first time since joining in 2015. They won the Atlantic Sun Conference championship in 2014 and went on to upset Duke as a 14-seed in the NCAAs.

Miller, the two-time SoCon player of the year and the first in history to also be the defensive POY both seasons, scored 16 points in the second half.

Neither team led by more than three points in the first half, which ended with Greensboro on top 37-36 after nine ties and eight lead changes.

Mercer's last lead was 53-52 on a Glisson dunk at the 6:20 mark and Neftali Alvarez hit the jumper that tied the game at 58 with 3:40 to go.

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Appalachian State: 2021 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Champions

Ken Davis sat in his living room on Monday, watching Appalachian State on its way to a title.

The men’s basketball team clinched its first Sun Belt Conference championship, and more importantly, the first NCAA Tournament berth for the program in 21 years and only the third in the school’s history.

His phone started to buzz with 15 minutes remaining in the game, and he looked down to find himself in a group text. The starter of the chat? Bobby Cremins, the former Mountaineers head coach under whom Davis served as a student manager.

“You talk about memories flooding,” Davis, 64, said.

That was the case for many Mountaineers fans, from the moment App State beat Georgia State, 80-73, to cap a stretch of four wins in four days that included two overtime victories. The championship came after a regular season in which App State lost six of its last seven games.

Naturally, some fans harkened back to the school’s previous NCAA trips.

Cremins led App State to its first, a Southern Conference championship year during the 1978-79 season. Davis, who graduated from App State in 1980 and earned his master’s the following year, ultimately followed Cremins to Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant.

Davis said he looks at the game with a coach’s eye. And he said on that front, there’s no way the Mountaineers should be here. But he saw a team that played harder than their opponents, a trait that can carry a team at the right time. He drew similarities between Cremins’ team and this one. For starters, a short bench that leaned heavily on a few – for example, four players played 34 minutes or more in the Sun Belt title game – but it was also the way the team just wore down Georgia State.

““I relate what Coach (Dustin) Kerns is doing to what Coach Cremins did back in the ‘70s,” Davis said. “They have bought into his system. And when players buy into a system, and they believe in that coach and that system, they’re going to perform.

“So I would say, yeah, I’m surprised, but I’m not surprised because of how they reacted and adjusted to his system.”

Trevor Owens hopped into the App State fan base at the right time. A student from 1997 to 2003, he saw three 20-win seasons. He saw the program move from Varsity Gym, in the center of campus, to its current home at Holmes Convocation Center in 2000. That stretch hooked him.

“I just remember trying to keep my balance at Varsity Gym because those bleachers were rocking because they were so excited about their basketball team back in the day,” Owens, 41, said.

The App State program saw other bright spots, but for the better part of the 2010s, it remained stuck. The Mountaineers had one winning season during that stretch, a 16-15 season in 2010-11. Owens called the results and sparse crowds disappointing, especially with the intense passion he saw during his time at the university.

That changed with Kerns, hired in April 2019. He authored a winning season, 18-15, last year before this season’s 17-11 campaign. Two years of progress have helped a program overcome nearly a decade of struggles. And the season included struggles, too: a COVID-19 pause stopped the Mountaineers during conference play for two-plus weeks.

The team traveled back to Boone on Tuesday, welcomed back into by a socially distanced gathered. That followed a night on which fans took to King Street and celebrated. David Jackson said he could hear fireworks in his neighborhood the moment the game ended, lasting for roughly 20 minutes.

Jackson’s perspective on this moment is unique. The play-by-play voice of the Mountaineers from 2000 to 2016, he’s now the president/CEO of the Boone Chamber of Commerce.

This is going to bring national exposure to App State and Boone. And any positive attention, he said, is wonderful during a time where a pandemic is still ongoing.

But it’s also the next installment of special memories for a fan base. Students, those who celebrated in the streets last night and the fans that have populated home games, have a new high point. One that, like the other two berths in the Big Dance, will resonate.

“I remember everything — I’m serious,” Jackson said. “I remember everything because that’s what these moments do.

“They make you soak it all in and pay attention to little details because of the magnitude of it all.”