College basketball’s postseason is in full swing with conference tournaments taking center stage through Selection Sunday. The SoCon will crown a champion Monday night when No. 1 seed Samford takes on No. 7 seed East Tennessee State. The Bulldogs are seeking their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000, while the Buccaneers are trying to make it back for the first time since 2017. Samford beat ETSU twice during the regular season, but the Buccaneers will be riding high into the matchup after erasing a 20-point deficit in their semifinal victory over No. 3 seed Chattanooga on Sunday.
The Sun Belt will also crown a champion with No. 2 seed James Madison facing No. 4 seed Arkansas State. Though the Dukes have an impressive early season win over Michigan State, winning the Sun Belt Tournament outright is its only path to the Big Dance, according to CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm.
Elsewhere, the CAA, Horizon League, Summit League and WCC are in semifinal action Monday, while the Big Sky and Southland tournaments will also be in action.
Three more automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament were punched on Sunday when Drake (Missouri Valley), Stetson (ASUN) and Longwood (Big South) each won their respective conference tournaments.
No. 2 seed Drake defeated top-seeded Indiana State 84-80 behind 27 points from two-time MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries. Indiana State erased an 18-point second-half deficit to take a brief lead with just over three minutes remaining before the Bulldogs closed the game on an 8-4 run.
No. 5 seed Longwood shocked No. 2 seed UNC Asheville 85-59 to secure the program’s second bid to the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons. The Lancers won the Big South regular season and conference title in 2022.
Stetson secured its first NCAA Tournament in program history with a 94-91 win over No. 4 seed Austin Peay. The second-seeded Hatters knocked off Queens, Jacksonville and Austin…
..
