Livescore
College basketball’s postseason ramped up into full gear on Tuesday with five conference tournament title games as more automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament were secured. With teams jockeying for spots in the Big Dance or trying to improve their seeding ahead of Selection Sunday, it’s the best time of the year in college sports, and the intensity was reflected in Tuesday’s action.
Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State split their regular-season series with each team winning on their home floor by a single point, so it was only fitting that it came down to the wire as they played for the Horizon League Tournament title. In the end, NKU edged CSU 63-61 as the Norse made 16 of 18 free throws, including 4 of 4 from Marques Warrick in the final 25 seconds. Warrick led Northern Kentucky with 18 points while Sam Vinson added 16 as the program secured its first NCAA Tournament trip under fourth-year coach Darrin Horn.
Charleston’s magical season continued as the No. 2 seed Cougars edged No. 4 seed UNC-Wilmington 63-58 in the CAA Tournament title game to secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UNCW led 53-45 with 6:13 remaining, but Charleston closed the game on an 18-5 run capped by a pair of clutch free throws from Reyne Smith in the final seconds. Had the Cougars lost, it would have sparked unending debate leading into Selection Sunday over whether they deserved an at-large bid to the Big Dance. However, by taking care of business, it’s a moot point as the program heads to the NCAA Tournament with a 31-3 record.
In the NEC, No. 1 seed Merrimack edged No. 2 seed Fairleigh Dickinson 67-66 for the conference tournament title. But Merrimack won’t be heading to the Big Dance as it completes its four-year transition period to Division I. Instead, FDU will go to the NCAA Tournament to cap off a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Tobin Anderson following a 4-22 season for the program last season.
In the Summit League title game, No. 1 seed Oral Roberts continued its sheer domination of conference foes by dismantling No. 3 seed North Dakota State 92-58 to secure the program’s second NCAA Tournament bid in the past three seasons. The last time the Golden Eagles made the Big Dance was in 2021 when they made a Sweet 16 run as a No. 15 seed. This time, they could be seeded better as they enter Selection Sunday with a 30-4 record highlighted by an unbeaten run through conference play and the conference tournament.
In the WCC Tournament final, No. 2 seed Gonzaga settled the season series with No. 1 seed Saint Mary’s by blasting the Gaels 77-51 as star forward Drew Timme scored 18 points and became the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer. It marks Gonzaga’s 19th WCC Tournament title under 24th-year coach Mark Few.
Tuesday’s conference tournament championship games
CAA: No. 2 Charleston 63, No. 4 UNC-Wilmington 58
Horizon League: No.4 Northern Kentucky 63, No. 3 Cleveland State 61
Northeast: No.1 Merrimack 67, No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson 66
Summit: No.1 Oral Roberts 92, No. 3 North Dakota State 58
WCC: No. 2 Gonzaga 77, No. 1 Saint Mary’s 51
Other conference tournaments in action Tuesday
2023 conference tournament schedules, champions
| Conference | Tournament site | Dates (Final TV) | 2023 Champion |
| AAC | Fort Worth, Texas | March 9-12 (ESPN) | |
| ACC | Greensboro, N.C. | March 7-11 (ESPN) | |
| America East | Campus sites | March 4, 7 & 11 (ESPN2) | |
| Atlantic 10 | Brooklyn, NY | March 7-9, 11-12 (CBSSN) | |
| ASUN | Campus sites | Feb. 27-28, March 2, 5 (ESPN2) | Kennesaw State |
| Big East | New York | March 8-11 (Fox) | |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 4-8 (ESPN2) | |
| Big South | Charlotte, N.C. | March 1, 3-5 (ESPN2) | UNC-Asheville |
| Big Ten | Chicago | March 8-12 (CBS) | |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 8-11 (ESPN) | |
| Big West | Henderson, Nev. | March 7, 9-11 (ESPN2) | |
| Colonial | Washington D.C. | March 3-7 (CBSSN) | Charleston |
| Conference USA | Frisco, Texas | March 8-11 (CBSSN) | |
| Horizon League | Indianapolis | Feb. 28, March 2, 6-7 (ESPN) | Northern Kentucky |
| Ivy League | Princeton, N.J. | March 11-12 (ESPN2) | |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, N.J. | March 7-11 (ESPNU) | |
| MAC | Cleveland | March 9-11 (ESPN2) | |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Va. | March 8-11 (ESPN2) | |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 2-5 (CBSSN) | Drake |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 8-11 (CBS) | |
| Northeast | Campus sites | March 1, 4 & 7 (ESPN2) | Fairleigh Dickinson-x |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Ind. | March 1-4 (ESPN2) | Southeast Missouri |
| Pac-12 | Las Vegas | March 8-11 (ESPN) | |
| Patriot | Campus sites | Feb. 28, March 2,5 & 8 (CBSSN) | |
| SEC | Nashville | March 8-12 (ESPN) | |
| Southern | Asheville, N.C | March 3-6 (ESPN) | Furman |
| Southland | Lake Charles, La. | March 5-8 (ESPN2) | |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, S.D. | March 3-7 (ESPN2) | Oral Roberts |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Fla. | Feb. 28, March 2, 4 & 6 (ESPN2) | Louisiana |
| SWAC | Birmingham, Ala. | March 8-11 (ESPNU) | |
| WAC | Las Vegas | March 7, 9-11 (ESPN2) | |
| West Coast | Las Vegas | March 2-4 & 6-7 (ESPN) | Gonzaga |
x – Merrimack won the NEC Tournament but isn’t illegible for the NCAA Tournament so Fairleigh Dickinson is awarded the league’s automatic bid.
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