Drake is dancing its way into March Madness for a third consecutive year after defeating Bradley 63-48 on Sunday in the MVC Tournament championship game and earning the conference’s NCAA Tournament automatic bid. The 30-win Bulldogs may have been in the field regardless of Sunday’s outcome as an at-large team but left no doubt with a dazzling defensive performance in the victory.
Drake advanced to the Big Dance each of the last two years under coach Darian DeVries, who left last offseason for West Virginia, and is advancing to the tourney this year led by first-year coach Ben McCollum. McCollum was tabbed as DeVries’ successor after a wildly successful stint at the Division II level and he has made an immediate impact at the Division I level, helping the Bulldogs to a program-record 30 wins while earning the school’s eighth NCAA Tournament appearance to boot.
Omaha punches ticket early
Omaha won’t be playing for the Summit League Tournament title until Sunday night, but the Mavericks assured themselves of a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament late Saturday.
Omaha’s opponent in the Summit League Tournament final is No. 2 seed St. Thomas, which is in the final year of its four-year transition period from Division III to Division I. Due to NCAA rules, the Tommies won’t be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until next season, thus clearing the path for Omaha to make its first-ever Big Dance appearance regardless of what happens in the tournament title game.
Lipscomb wins ASUN Tournament
Lipscomb secured its spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 76-65 win over North Alabama in the ASUN Tournament title game to claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bisons shared the regular-season conference title with the Lions after splitting the regular-season series but bested them when it mattered most.
It marks the second NCAA Tournament appearance for Lipscomb in program history and first since 2018, when it fell in the first round as a No. 15 seed to No. 2 seed North Carolina. Led by sixth-year coach Lennie Acuff, the team has the second-most wins in a single-season in school history and lurks as a potential Cinderella threat entering March Madness.
High Point makes first Big Dance
High Point is dancing its way into the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a Division I member after erasing a 15-point second-half deficit and defeating Winthrop 81-69 in the Big South Tournament championship game. The Panthers punched their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time after transitioning to Division I in 1999-2000.
Second-year coach Alan Huss led the Panthers to the regular-season Big South title to help them earn the No. 1 seed in the bracket. They defeated Gardner-Webb, Radford and Winthrop in the tourney. High Point will move into the NCAA Tournament bracket riding a 14-game winning streak that dates back to mid-January.
Bracketology: Alabama contending for the fourth No. 1 after beating overall top seed Auburn
Jerry Palm
SportsLine conference tournament odds, picks: Proven experts share best bets for every tourney
Sunday’s conference tournament scores
2025 conference tournaments
| Conference | Location | Dates | Championship game / Tournament champion |
| ACC | Charlotte, North Carolina | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| America East | Campus sites | March 8,11,15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 11 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| American | Fort Worth, Texas | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 3:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| ASUN | Campus sites | March 2,3,6,9 | Lipscomb (25-9) |
| Atlantic 10 | Washington D.C. | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Big East | New York City | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6:30 p.m. | Fox |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 8-12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 11:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Big South | Johnson City, Tennessee | March 5,7-9 | High Point (29-5) |
| Big Ten | Indianapolis | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 3:30 p.m. | CBS |
| Big West | Henderson, Nevada | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 9:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Coastal Athletic | Washington D.C. | March 7-11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Conference USA | Huntsville, Alabama | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Horizon League | Campus sites | March 4,6,10,11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Ivy | Providence, Rhode Island | March 15-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, New Jersey | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| MAC | Cleveland | March 13-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 7:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Virginia | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 6-9 | Drake (30-3) |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | CBS |
| Northeast | Campus sites | March 5,8.11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Indiana | March 5-8 | SIUE (22-11) |
| Patriot | Campus sites | March 4,6,9,12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 7 p.m. | CBSSN |
| SEC | Nashville | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Southern | Asheville, North Carolina | March 7-10 | Mon., Mar. 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Southland | Lake Charles, Louisiana | March 9-12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | March 5-9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 9 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Florida | March 4-10 | Mon., Mar. 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| SWAC | Atlanta | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 9:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| WAC | St. George, Utah / Las Vegas | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 11:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| WCC | Las Vegas | March 6-11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 9 p.m. | ESPN |
Read the full article here