USATSI
Conference tournament action continues Thursday as more of the nation’s top dogs enter the postseason fray. It will also be a consequential day for teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble, including North Carolina. The No. 5 seed Tar Heels will take on No. 4 seed Wake Forest in an ACC Tournament quarterfinal battle between two teams desperately seeking March momentum.
Top-ranked Duke will also begin its postseason journey as the No. 1 seed Blue Devils take on No. 8 seed Georgia Tech. If Duke and North Carolina each win, they would meet each other in a semifinal game on Friday. Elsewhere, the Big East Tournament will ramp up with the top four seeds beginning play, including St. John’s. The top-seeded Red Storm are seeking to add a conference tournament title to their regular-season crown under second-year coach Rick Pitino.
More teams clinched spots in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday as championship week action continued heating up. McNeese is headed to the Big Dance for a second consecutive season after the No. 1 seed Cowboys beat No. 2 seed Lamar 63-54 in the Southland Tournament title game.
Prior to the arrival of coach Will Wade before the 2023-24 season, McNeese had been dancing just twice before and not since 2002. But the former LSU coach has the Cowboys projected as a No. 12 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest Bracketology.
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American will represent the Patriot League in the NCAA Tournament after the No. 2 seed Eagles toppled No. 5 seed Navy 74-52 in the conference tournament final. It will be American’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014 and first trip under second-year coach Duane Simpkins. Matt Rogers led the Eagles with 28 points in the victory.
SportsLine conference tournament odds, picks: Proven experts share best bets for every tourney
Thursday’s conference tournament scores
2025 conference tournaments/champions
Conference Location Dates Championship game /
Tournament champion ACCCharlotte, North CarolinaMarch 11-15Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN America EastCampus sites March 8,11,15Sat., Mar. 15, 11 a.m. | ESPN2 AmericanFort Worth, TexasMarch 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 3:15 p.m. | ESPN ASUNCampus sitesMarch 2,3,6,9 Lipscomb (25-9) Atlantic 10Washington D.C.March 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | CBS Big 12Kansas CityMarch 11-15Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | ESPN Big EastNew York CityMarch 12-15Sat., Mar. 15, 6:30 p.m. | Fox Big SkyBoise, IdahoMarch 8-12Montana (25-9) Big SouthJohnson City, TennesseeMarch 5,7-9 High Point (29-5) Big TenIndianapolisMarch 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 3:30 p.m. | CBS Big WestHenderson, NevadaMarch 12-15Sat., Mar. 15, 9:40 p.m. | ESPN2 Coastal AthleticWashington D.C.March 7-11UNCW (27-7) Conference USAHuntsville, AlabamaMarch 11-15Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | CBSSN Horizon LeagueCampus sitesMarch 4,6,10,11Robert Morris (25-8) IvyProvidence, Rhode IslandMarch 15-16Sun., Mar. 16, 12 p.m. | ESPN2 MAACAtlantic City, New JerseyMarch 11-15Sat., Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU MACClevelandMarch 13-15Sat., Mar. 15, 7:40 p.m. | ESPN2 MEACNorfolk, VirginiaMarch 12-15Sat., Mar. 15, 1 p.m. | ESPN2 Missouri ValleySt. LouisMarch 6-9 Drake (30-3) Mountain WestLas VegasMarch 12-15Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | CBS NortheastCampus sitesMarch 5,8.11Saint Francis (15-17) Ohio ValleyEvansville, IndianaMarch 5-8 SIUE (22-11) PatriotCampus sitesMarch 4,6,9,12American (22-12) SECNashvilleMarch 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | ESPN SouthernAsheville, North CarolinaMarch 7-10 Wofford (19-15) SouthlandLake Charles, LouisianaMarch 9-12McNeese (27-6) SummitSioux Falls, South DakotaMarch 5-9 Omaha (22-12) Sun BeltPensacola, FloridaMarch 4-10 Troy (23-10) SWACAtlantaMarch 11-15Sat., Mar. 15, 9:30 p.m. | ESPNU WACSt. George, Utah / Las VegasMarch 11-15Sat., Mar. 15, 11:40 p.m. | ESPN2 WCCLas VegasMarch 6-11Gonzaga (25-8)
