The young Akron Zips have gone through quite a season, with a lot of youth and a change in personnel plans along the way. It also included a good coaching job to get a 19-win regular season out of this bunch.

As good as George Mason was, they simply weren’t good enough to stop Eric Maynor, ever-improving Larry Sanders and VCU. The Rams took home the CAA title and are off to the NCAA Tournament once again.

The Saints have an experienced team entering this year’s NCAA Tournament after Siena appeared in the Big Dance last year, knocking off No. 4 seed Vanderbilt in the first round. Siena earned a second consecutive trip to the tournament by beating No. 2 Niagara 77-70.

No. 1 North Dakota State will look to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance if it can beat No. 3 Oakland in the championship game Tuesday. The Bison beat No. 5 Southern Utah 79-67 in the semifinals, while Oakland took down No. 7 South Dakota State 74-56.

Both No. 1 Western Kentucky and No. 6 South Alabama appeared in last year’s NCAA Tournament, with the Hilltoppers reaching the Sweet 16. Western Kentucky reached the Sun Belt championship game by beating No. 4 North Texas 77-70, while No. 6 South Alabama upset No. 2 Arkansas-Little Rock 54-44.

No. 1 Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference championship — again — by annihilating No. 2 St. Mary’s 83-58. With Patty Mills struggling, the Gaels might have hurt their at-large chances, while the Bulldogs made a strong case for a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Elon coach Ernie Nestor resigned after the Phoenix finished 11-20 and 7-13 in the Southern Conference this season. Nestor coached Elon for six seasons and finished with a 67-117 record.

After a disappointing season at High Point, the Panthers fired coach Bart Lundy. In six seasons at High Point, Lundy compiled a 96-87 record.

Ohio State sophomore forward Dallas Lauderdale injured his shoulder while going up for a shot against Northwestern in the Buckeyes’ 52-47 win Sunday