We're here, folks. Selection Sunday. Let us rejoice and be glad. Today's Championship Week song is Mott the Hoople's "All The Way From Memphis," in honor of the Memphis Tigers avoiding an upset loss to Tulane that would have stolen a bid from those of us waiting too anxiously for the bracket reveal.
Here's what happened yesterday and what we have to look forward to today:
- In the ACC title game, 1-seed Duke downed 2-seed Louisville, 73-62. The Blue Devils will be playing in their 47th and 4th in a row.
- In the America East championship game, 1-seed Bryant crushed 3-seed Maine, to clinch the Bulldogs' second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2022.
- In the Big 12 championship, top seed Houston overcame 3-seed Arizona, 72-64. The Cougars will be playing in their 26th NCAA Tournament and 7th in a row.
- In the Big East title game, 1-seed St. John's made easy work of 2-seed Creighton, 82-66. The Red Storm will be playing in their 31st NCAA Tournament and first since 2019.
- In the Big West title game, top seed UC San Diego topped 2-seed UC Irvine, 75-61. The Tritons will be playing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament. So that's pretty exciting.
- In the C-USA championship game, 1-seed Liberty beat 2-seed Jacksonville State, 79-67. The Flames will be playing in their 6th NCAA Tournament and first since 2021.
- In the MAAC title game, 6-seed Mount St. Mary's trounced 4-seed Iona, 63-49. The Mountaineers will be playing in their 7th NCAA Tournament and first since 2021.]
- In the MAC championship game, 1-seed Akron got a layup with 2 seconds left to beat 2-seed Miami (OH), 76-74. The Zips will be playing in their 7th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in a row.
- In the MEAC championship, top seed Norfolk State got a late game-winning free throw to beat 2-seed South Carolina State, 66-65. The Spartans will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament and first since 2022.
- In the Mountain West title game, 2-seed Colorado State dropped 5-seed Boise State, 69-55. The Rams will be playing fin their 13th NCAA Tournament and second in a row.
- In the SWAC championship game, 5-seed Alabama State secured a spot in the First Four by beating 2-seed Jackson State, 60-56. The Hornets will be playing in their 5th NCAA Tournament and first since 2011.
- In the WAC title game, 2-seed Grand Canyon outlasted 1-Utah Valley, 89-82. The Antelopes will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament and third in a row.
- In the AAC semifinals, much to the delight of bubble teams around the country, 1-seed Memphis escaped with a 78-77 win over 4-seed Tulane, and 3-seed UAB took out 2-seed North Texas 66-56. When they meet in this afternoon's title game, the Tigers (who are a lock for the tournament anyway) will be seeking their 29th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2023, and the Blazers will be seeking their 18th and second in a row.
- In the A-10 semis, top seed VCU staved off 4-seed Loyola (IL), 62-55, and 2-seed George Mason downed 6-seed St. Joseph's, 74-64. In this afternoon's championship game, the Rams (who may be a lock anyway) will be playing for their 20th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2023, and the Patriots will be playing for their 7th berth and first since 2011.
- In the Big Ten semifinals, 5-seed Wisconsin upset 1-seed Michigan State, 77-74, and 3-seed Michigan got a Tyus Edney-esque full court drive for a buzzer-beating layup from Tre Donaldson to beat 2-seed Maryland, 81-80, to advance to this afternoon's title game. Both are locks for the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers will be playing in their 28th NCAA Tournament and second in a row, and the Wolverines will be playing in their 32nd and first since 2022.
- In the Ivy League semis, top seed Yale survived against 4-seed Princeton, 59-57, and 2-seed Cornell pulled away from 3-seed Dartmouth for a 87-71 win. When they meet in today's title game, the Bulldogs will be playing for their 8th trip to the Big Dance and second in a row, while the Big Red will be playing for their 6th trip and first since 2010 (when they went to the Sweet 16 as a 12-seed).
- In the SEC quarters, 4-seed Tennessee upset 1-seed Auburn, 70-65, and 2-seed Florida crushed 3-seed Alabama, 104-82, to advance to today's championship game. Both are locks for the tournament. The Volunteers will be playing in their 27th NCAA Tournament and 7th in a row, and the Gators with be playing in their 25th and second in a row.
- Conference tournaments with games today: 5
- Conference tournaments with title games today: 5
- Bubble teams that won yesterday: Colorado State, Liberty, Memphis, UC San Diego, VCU
- Bubble teams that lost yesterday: Boise State, North Texas, UC Irvine
With that, here are the tournaments starting today, the tournaments with games today, bids up for grab today, who has already clinched an automatic berth, and my predictions for the remaining conference tournaments.
Tournaments starting today
-None
Tournaments with games today
-AAC
-Atlantic 10
-Big Ten
-Ivy League
-SEC
Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)
-Ivy League: (1) Yale vs. (2) Cornell (12 p.m.; ESPN2)
-SEC: (2) Florida vs. (4) Tennessee (1 p.m.; ESPN)
-Atlantic 10: (1) VCU vs. (2) George Mason (1 p.m.; CBS)
-AAC: (1) Memphis vs. (3) UAB (3 p.m.; ESPN)
-Big Ten: (3) Michigan vs. (5) Wisconsin (3:30 p.m.; CBS)
Already clinched automatic berths (I will add in parentheses the NCAA tournament appearances for each school, including the bid just clinched and last NCAA Tournament appearance where applicable, and for conferences whose tournaments have not yet ended, I'll list the date of the championship game)
-AAC (March 16)
-ACC: Duke (47; 2024)
-America East: Bryant (2; 2022)
-Atlantic 10 (March 16)
-Atlantic Sun: Lipscomb (2; 2018)
-Big 12: Houston (27; 2024)
-Big East: St. John's (31; 2019)
-Big Sky: Montana (13; 2019)
-Big South: High Point (1)
-Big Ten (March 16)
-Big West: UC San Diego (1)
-Coastal: UNC Wilmington (7; 2017)
-Conference USA: Liberty (6; 2021)
-Horizon: Robert Morris (9; 2015)
-Ivy League (March 16)
-MAAC: Mount St. Mary's (7; 2021)
-MAC: Akron 7; 2024)
-MEAC: Norfolk State (4; 2022)
-Missouri Valley: Drake (8; 2024)
-Mountain West: Colorado State (13; 2024)
-Northeast Conference: St. Francis (PA) (2; 1991)
-Ohio Valley: SIU Edwardsville (1)
-Patriot League: American (4; 2014)
-SEC (March 16)
-Southern Conference: Wofford (6; 2019)
-Southland: McNeese (4; 2024)
-Summit: Omaha (1)
-Sun Belt: Troy (3; 2017)
-SWAC: Alabama State (5; 2011)
-WAC: Grand Canyon (4; 2024)
-West Coast: Gonzaga (27; 2024)
Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)
AAC (March 12-16; Fort Worth)
3/16 – Finals
3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Memphis vs. (3) UAB. Predicted winner: Memphis
Atlantic 10 (March 12-16; Washington, DC)
3/16 – Finals
1 p.m. (CBS) (1) VCU vs. (2) George Mason. Predicted winner: VCU
Big Ten (March 12-16; Indianapolis)
3/16 – Finals
3:30 p.m. (CBS) (3) Michigan vs. (5) Wisconsin. Predicted winner: Wisconsin
Ivy League (March 15-16; Providence)
3/16 - Finals
12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Yale vs. (2) Cornell. Predicted winner: Yale
SEC (March 12-16; Nashville)
3/16 – Finals
1 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Florid vs. (4) Tennessee. Predicted winner: Tennessee
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