No. 1 VCU and No. 2 George Mason proved that the first team to reach 60 points wins. No. 4 Old Dominion snuck past No. 5 Hofstra 52-51. And No. 11 Towson continues to work its magic, beating No. 3 Northeastern 58-54 for a second consecutive upset.
Conference Notes
Metro Atlantic: Siena and Fairfield to Meet in Semifinals
Junior forward Mike Evanovich led No. 5 Fairfield with 18 points and four rebounds, and senior guard Herbie Allen added 17 points to guide the Stags past No. 4 Manhattan 68-61. Meanwhile, No. 1 Siena bum-rushed No. 9 Canisius 77-52 with a balanced attack on offense and defense. No. 2 Niagara blasted No. 10 Marist 79-50 by working harder on the glass, collecting 47 rebounds to the Red Foxes’ 30. And junior guard Ryan Thompson had a season-high 30 points to lead No. 3 Rider to a 67-58 win against No. 6 St. Peter’s.
Missouri Valley: Creighton Muddies the Bubble Outlook
No. 3 Illinois State whips No. 2 Creighton, which now must hope that a 25-7 record is good enough to earn the Missouri Valley’s second-best team in the regular season an NCAA Tournament bid. Top-seeded Northern Iowa pulled away in the second half for a 76-62 win against No. 4 Bradley.
SoCon: The Curry Show Rolls to the Semifinals
As usual, junior guard Stephen Curry dominated a Southern Conference opponent, posting 43 points against No. 4N Appalachian State in No. 1S Davidson’s 84-68 win. Meanwhile, No. 3S College of Charleston and No. 1N Chattanooga also advance. And No. 3N Samford pulled off a mild upset of No. 2S the Citadel, winning 77-67 in the battle of the Bulldogs.
St. Mary’s: St. Mary’s Boosts Profile With Mills’ Return and Another Game
Coach Randy Bennett smartly adds a game to the schedule to give the NCAA Tournament selection committee a chance to watch Patty Mills in action. Eastern Washington gets an opportunity to pull off a major upset days before Selection Sunday.
Summit: South Dakota State Ensures Summit Will Get New Champ
No. 7 South Dakota State upset No. 2 Oral Roberts 72-69, ending the Golden Eagles’ three-year run as champion. No. 1 North Dakota State posted a gaudy 16-2 conference record during the regular season, but the Bison found No. 8 Centenary was undaunted in a hard-fought 83-77 battle.
Duke: Smith to Miss Rematch With Heels
Duke sophomore guard Nolan Smith will miss a third consecutive game while recovering from a concussion he suffered against Maryland.
Wright State Shoots Early, Defends Late, to Oust Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Known for defense, Wright State came out of the gates hot on offense. Then they showed their trademark defense to take over the game en route to a win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Austin Peay Comes to Play on Defense
Austin Peay wanted it more than Murray State, and took the Racers out of their offense early. Once they were energized, they broke the game open further to advance to the OVC championship game.
Defense Wins For Morehead State in Semifinal
It’s been said many times that defense wins championships. An odd variation of that them showed up in Friday night’s first semifinal game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, one that featured the conference’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year on opposing squads. In the end, the squad with the latter player came out on top.
