No. 5 Akron’s Anthony “Humpty” Hitchens hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to complete a frantic comeback and tie the game at 78, and as overtime expired, sophomore forward Brett McKnight hit a jumper to give Akron the 93-92 win against No. 12 Toledo. Meanwhile. No. 6 Kent State beat No. 11 Northern Illinois 64-61, No. 7 Central Michigan beat No. 10 Eastern Michigan 62-49, and No. 9 Ohio was the lone underdog to win, beating No. 8 Western Michigan 62-55.
But Wait - There's More!
Summit: North Dakota State Earns First Championship and NCAA Bid
No. 1 North Dakota State beat No. 3 Oakland 66-64 on a jumper from senior guard Ben Woodside with three seconds remaining, giving the Bison a Summit League championship and NCAA Tournament bid just two years after they joined Division I.
Akron Turns Rebuilding Season into Third Place Tie, 5th Seed in MAC Tourney
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.
Virginia Commonwealth Too Good for George Mason, Wins Colonial
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.
Vanderbilt Grows Up in SEC Play
Vanderbilt went 11-3 in non-conference play and showed some promise despite being young. But early SEC play was not kind to them, and they started out 1-5. They grew up from there to finish the season at .500 in SEC play.
Metro Atlantic: Siena Wins Back-to-Back MAAC Titles
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.
Summit: North Dakota State Takes the Summit League by Storm
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.
Sun Belt: Sun Belt Champ Will Be Familiar to NCAA Tourney
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.
West Coast: Gonzaga Cruises as Mills Struggles
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: Nestor Ousted at Elon
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.
