Mar 13 2009
American Wins Patriot League
American University was the only team to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament Friday. The Eagles won the Patriot League title by defeating Holy Cross, 73-57.
Lots of other conference tournaments are nearing completion. In the Atlantic Coast, North Carolina edged Virginia Tech, 79-76. Duke squeaked past Boston College, 68-65. Florida State rallied past Georgia Tech, 64-62. Maryland upset Wake Forest, 75-64.
In the Atlantic 10 semifinals, Temple upended regular-season champion Xavier, 55-53. Duquesne upset Dayton, 77-66. Temple and Duquesne play Saturday for a bid neither would otherwise receive.
In the Big East semifinals, Louisville handled Villanova, 69-55. Syracuse’s storybook run continued with an overtime win over West Virginia, 74-69. Louisville and Syracuse meet for the championship tomorrow at Madison Square Garden.
In the Big Ten, Michigan State dismissed Minnesota, 64-56. Purdue dispatched Penn State, 79-65. Illinois beat Michigan, 60-50. Ohio State survived against Wisconsin, 61-57.
In the Big 12 semifinals, Missouri defeated Oklahoma State, 67-59. Ninth-seeded Baylor continued its Cinderella run by beating Texas, 76-70. Bubble teams will feverishly root against Baylor claiming a tournament berth tomorrow.
In the Big West semifinals, Cal State Northridge bested UC Santa Barbara, 67-60. Pacific upended Long Beach State, 75-70.
In the Conference USA semifinals, Memphis extended to 61 games its league winning streak by crushing Houston, 74-49. Tulsa edged Alabama-Birmingham, 70-67.
In the Mid-American semifinals, Akron upset regular-season champ Bowling Green, 63-55. Runner-up Ball State fell to Buffalo, 64-52.
In the Mid-Eastern semifinals, Morgan State defeated Coppin State, 75-67. Norfolk State edged South Carolina State, 74-71.
In the Mountain West semifinals, Utah throttled Wyoming, 68-55. Regular-season winner Brigham Young was beaten by San Diego State, 64-62.
In the Pac-10 semifinals, Arizona State upended regular-season champ Washington, 75-65. USC upset city rival UCLA, 65-55.
In the Southeastern, Louisiana State dispatched Kentucky, 67-58. Tennessee smashed Alabama, 86-62. Auburn squeaked past Florida, 61-58. Mississippi State handled South Carolina, 82-69.
In the Southland semifinals, Stephen F. Austin survived against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 63-60. Texas-San Antonio upset Nicholls State, 57-55. Stephen F. Austin and UTSA will face each other Sunday for an automatic berth.
In the Southwestern semifinals, Alabama State beat Arkansas-Little Rock, 63-55. Jackson State crushed Prairie View A&M, 66-53.
In the Western Athletic semifinals, Utah State rallied past New Mexico State, 71-70. Nevada leads Louisiana Tech, 65-56, with five minutes remaining in the second half. Utah State plays the winner Saturday for a bid. Should Nevada win tonight, it will host the final on its home court in Reno.
