NASHVILLE — Whether or not the Florida Gators make the NCAA Tournament field is a debate that won’t be settled until Sunday when the 64-team field is announced. What’s not up for debate is that the Gators went a long, long way toward ensuring they will avoid a third straight trip to the National Invitation Tournament with their 78-69 win over Auburn Thursday night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.
While Thursday’s win is no guarantee that the Gators (21-11) will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, a loss to the Tigers (15-17) surely would have killed their chances. You don’t end a regular season on a three-game losing streak and then lose to a team that got its doors blown off by Sam Houston State and still make the NCAA Tournament.
So the pressure was on and the Gators knew the stakes were high.
“We knew we had to win this one,” Kenny Boynton said. “Lose … we knew what would happen if we lose.”
Boynton did his part to make sure the Gators didn’t have to think NIT. He got hot at just the right time, knocking down three straight threes to highlight a 13-0 run that turned the game around. In the span of 2:45 the Gators went from a dubious one-up (42-41) to a 55-41 lead with 12:10 remaining in the game.
Those were the only points Boynton scored.
“I really didn’t know what the score was when I shot,” Boynton said. “I just had open looks and made the shots. I had a chance to help the team so they were pretty important.”
Alex Tyus did his part with a 24-point effort that included seven dunks and a come from out of nowhere blocked shot with 5:39 left and Auburn threatening to close to within four points. It was the biggest scoring game for Tyus since he got 23 against Georgia on January 27 and it was all about good spacing.
“We’ve been getting too jammed up in the lane lately,” Tyus said. “The last couple of days at practice we worked on getting better spacing to free us up on the inside.”
It’s a good thing the Gators had it going on the inside, too. Other than that flurry of threes by Boynton in the second half and a three-straight barrage by Chandler Parsons in the first half, the Gators didn’t get many opportunities to knock down shots from beyond the arc. Erving Walker, who lives on the perimeter, only got free for two three-point shots and he didn’t knock one down but he did get into the paint to feed Tyus for four of those five dunks and finished with six assists and no turnovers.
“He [Tyus] just worked the baseline and got open,” Walker said. “I just looked for him and he was there. It just kind of worked out that when the clock worked on down I got in the paint and found him for some easy shots. The defense came to me and left him open.”
Walker did finish with six points, all of them at the foul line and he and Dan Werner, who knocked down a three and a pair of crucial free throws with 43.7 seconds left, both had seven rebounds.
“I thought Auburn did a great job on him [Walker] defensively just getting up after him,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “You know, he had six assists and zero turnovers and I thought he played within himself … oh, he had one turnover.”
As if that one miscue mattered.
And whenever it did matter, Chander Parsons was there to bail the Gators out. Parsons was Florida’s answer man Thursday night. He was the answer when the Gators needed to come out of the blocks at a full sprint, scoring 11 of Florida’s first 18 points including three straight threes. Parsons gave the Gators the momentum they needed to bolt to a 28-14 lead but when Auburn started making comebacks, he was the guy who put the fire out.
When Auburn rallied from down 28-14 to a 30-24 deficit in the first half, Parsons hit a spinning shot in the lane that steadied the Florida ship and on the next possession got the ball to Alex Tyus on a pick and roll that resulted in a dunk and a free throw that took the lead back to 11, all within a 30 second span.
After hitting 15 of their 27 first half shots en route to a 40-31 lead at the break, the Gators came out stone and misfired on their first seven shots including a blown dunk by Vernon Macklin. Auburn, meanwhile wasn’t missing. The Tigers scored eight straight points out of the blocks to close to 40-39.
The momentum was clearly in Auburn’s favor but Parsons answered with a drive down the baseline in which he finished with a two-hand dunk that ended the cold spell and extended the Gators to a 42-39 lead with 15:49 to go. Auburn scored on its next possession but the Gators answered that with that 13-0 run.
Tyus dunked on a pick and roll feed from Walker to end that 13-0 run, putting the Gators out front, 60-47 with 7:52 left in the game. That’s the kind of run that typically sticks a fork in an opponent but Auburn wasn’t finished. The Tigers scored seven in a row to cut Florida’s lead to 60-54 with 6:20 left. Parsons got to the foul line and hit two free throws to end that run.
With the Gators leading 68-63, Parsons saved a possession with an offensive rebound at the 1:34 mark to give the Gators an extra possession and a fresh shot clock. He made the extra possession count by beating the shot clock by a second with a layup with 59 seconds to go.
Auburn had a chance to carve the lead down to four but Frankie Sullivan missed a three-pointer with 24 seconds left. Walker chased down the rebound and before the Auburn could foul him, he lofted a perfect lead pass to Parsons whose dunk not only finished off a 21-point night but also finished off the Tigers.
“I think we weathered some storms when they made some runs and I think that shows how tough we are and how mature we are,” Parsons said after scoring 21 and grabbing six rebounds. “We didn’t come here we just for this game. We want to play on Sunday.”
To get to Sunday’s SEC Tournament championship game, the Gators will probably need a repeat performance of the defensive job they put on Auburn Thursday night. Auburn came into the game hitting nearly nine threes a game but the Tigers went 4-25 against the Gators.
Tay Waller, who was averaging 15.9 points per game and was on a 39-75 run from the three-point line, hung a donut because the Gators alternated a tough man-to-man with a matchup zone that limited his options. He went 0-5 on threes, 0-6 for the whole game.
If they can close out Mississippi State’s long range bombers — the Bulldogs average more than nine threes a game — and find a way to get the ball inside against Jarvis Varnado, the all-time shot blocker in the history of college basketball, the Gators will be halfway to Sunday.
Most experts said they needed only one win to make the NCAA coming into the SEC Tournament. They got that win Thursday night, which means also means they live another day in Nashville but the way they figure it, since they’re here and playing they might as well win.
“We think we can play with anybody,” Tyus said. “We know when we play like a team we can beat any team in the SEC.”
This is a team that wants to get into the NCAA Tournament but doesn’t want to go in through the back door. They would much rather be a team whose season-long resume leaves no doubt.
A win over Mississippi State Friday night would definitely take the doubts away.
FLORIDA 78, AUBURN 69
At Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
AUBURN (69) – Lucas Hargrove 5-11 1-2 11, Johnnie Lett 0-0 0-0 0, DeWayne Reed 6-17 5-5 18, Frankie Sullivan 11-18 2-3 27, Tay Waller 0-6 0-0 0, Andre Malone 0-0 0-0 0, Ty Armstrong 1-2 0-0 2, Tony Neysmith 0-0 0-0 0, Kenny Gabriel 3-6 0-0 6, Brendon Knox 2-2 1-2 5, Earnest Ross 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-62 9-12 69.
Field-goal shooting: 28 of 62 for 45.2 percent. 3-point shooting: 4 of 25 for 16.0 percent (Sullivan 3-9, Reed 1-6, Gabriel 0-2, Hargrove 0-3, Waller 0-5). Free-throw shooting: 9 of 12 for 75.0 percent. Rebounds: 35 (Hargrove 9). Assists: 10 (Reed 5, Waller 4). Blocked shots: 4 (Sullivan 2). Steals: 3 (Sullivan 2). Turnovers: 10 (Hargrove 2, Reed 2, Waller 2). Total fouls (fouled out): 19 (none). Points off turnovers: 4. Points in paint: 40. Second-chance points: 13. Fast-break points: 8. Bench points: 13.
FLORIDA (78) – Alex Tyus 11-16 2-2 24, Chandler Parsons 7-12 4-5 21, Vernon Macklin 4-8 2-3 10, Kenny Boynton 3-9 0-1 9, Erving Walker 0-4 6-6 6, Ray Shipman 1-2 0-0 2, Dan Werner 1-3 2-2 5, Erik Murphy 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 27-55 17-21 78.
Field-goal shooting: 27 of 55 for 49.1 percent. 3-point shooting: 7 of 15 for 46.7 percent (Parsons 3-4, Boynton 3-7, Werner 1-1, Shipman 0-1, Walker 0-2). Free-throw shooting: 17 of 21 for 81.0 percent. Rebounds: 32 (Walker 7, Werner 7, Parsons 6). Assists: 17 (Walker 6). Blocked shots: 3 (Tyus 2). Steals: 3 (Macklin 3). Turnovers: 7 (Tyus 2, Parsons 2). Total fouls (fouled out): 12 (none). Points off turnovers: 15. Points in paint: 40. Second-chance points: 4. Fast-break points: 4. Bench points: 8.
Halftime: Florida 40, Auburn 31. Lead changes: 1 (Chandler Parsons’ 3-pointer with 17:04 left in first half for 7-5 Florida lead). Largest Auburn lead: 3 points (5-2 on Frankie Sullivan’s 3-pointer with 18:37 left in first half). Largest Florida lead: 14 points twice (28-14 on Alex Tyus dunk with 9:38 left in first half; 55-41 on 3-pointer by Kenny Boynton’s 3-pointer with 12:15 left in second half). Officials: Tony Greene, Ted Valentine, Pat Evans. Records: Auburn 15-17, Florida 21-11. A—15,212.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
At Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
Thursday, March 11 first round
Alabama 68, South Carolina 63
Tennessee 59, Louisiana State 49
Florida 78, Auburn 69
Georgia 77, Arkansas 64
Friday, March 12 quarterfinals
Alabama (17-14) vs. Kentucky (29-2), 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
Tennessee (24-7) vs. Mississippi (21-9), 3:15 p.m. (SEC Network)
Florida (21-11) vs. Mississippi State (21-10), 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Georgia (14-16) vs. Vanderbilt (23-7), 9:45 p.m. (SEC Network)
Saturday, March 13 semifinals
Alabama-Kentucky winner vs. Tennessee-Mississippi winner, 1 p.m. (ABC)
Florida-Mississippi State winner vs. Georgia-Vanderbilt winner, 3:15 p.m. (ABC)
Sunday, March 14 championship
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. (ABC)
AMERICAN EAST
At Chase Arena, Hartford, Conn.
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Stony Brook 68, Albany 59
Boston University 87, Hartford 46
Vermont 76, Maryland-Baltimore County 59
New Hampshire 68, Maine 57
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Boston University 70, Stony Brook 63
Vermont 57, New Hampshire 38
Saturday, March 13 championship
Boston University (19-12) at Vermont (24-9), 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
ATLANTIC 10
Tuesday, March 9 first round
St. Bonaventure 83, Duquesne 71
Rhode Island 87, Saint Joseph’s 76
Dayton 70, George Washington 60
Massachusetts 59, Charlotte 56
At Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.
Friday, March 12 quarterfinals
St. Bonaventure (15-15) vs. Temple (26-5), 12 p.m.
Rhode Island (22-8) vs. Saint Louis (20-10), 2:30 p.m.
Dayton (20-11) vs. Xavier (23-7), 6:30 p.m.
Massachusetts (12-19) vs. Richmond (24-7), 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 semifinals
St. Bonaventure-Temple winner vs. Rhode Island-Saint Louis winner, 1 p.m.
Dayton-Xavier winner vs. Massachusetts-Richmond winner, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 14 championship
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. (CBS)
ATLANTIC COAST
At Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum
Thursday, March 11 first round
Virginia 68, Boston College 62
Miami, Fla. 83, Wake Forest 62
Georgia Tech 62, North Carolina 58
North Carolina State 59, Clemson 57
Friday, March 12 quarterfinals
Virginia (15-15) vs. Duke (26-5), 12 p.m.
Miami, Fla. (19-12) vs. Virginia Tech (23-7), 2 p.m.
Georgia Tech (20-11) vs. Maryland (23-7), 7 p.m.
North Carolina State (18-14) vs. Florida State (22-8), 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 semifinals
Virginia-Duke winner vs. Miami, Fla.-Virginia Tech winner, 1:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech-Maryland winner vs. North Carolina State-Florida State winner, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 14 championship
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
ATLANTIC SUN
At University Center, Macon, Ga.
Wednesday, March 3 quarterfinals
Kennesaw State 72, Lipscomb 69
Jacksonville 76, North Florida 69
Thursday, March 4 quarterfinals
East Tennessee State 72, Campbell 64
Mercer 87, Belmont 81
Friday, March 5 semifinals
East Tennessee State 69, Kennesaw State 64
Mercer 66, Jacksonville 63
Saturday, March 6 championship
East Tennessee State 72, Mercer 66
BIG 12
At Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.
Wednesday, March 10 first round
Texas Tech 82, Colorado 67
Nebraska 75, Missouri 60
Oklahoma State 81, Oklahoma 67
Texas 82, Iowa State 75
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Kansas 80, Texas Tech 68
Texas A&M 70, Nebraska 64
Kansas State 83, Oklahoma State 64
Baylor 86, Texas 67
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Kansas (30-2) vs. Texas A&M (23-8), 7 p.m.
Kansas State (25-6) vs. Baylor (25-6), 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
BIG EAST
At Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Tuesday, March 9 first round
South Florida 58, DePaul 49
St. John’s 73, Connecticut 51
Seton Hall 109, Providence 106
Cincinnati 69, Rutgers 68
Wednesday, March 10 second round
Georgetown 69, South Florida 49
Marquette 57, St. John’s 55
Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall 56
Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Georgetown 91, Syracuse 84
Marquette 80, Villanova 76
Notre Dame 50, Pittsburgh 45
West Virginia 54, Cincinnati 51
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Georgetown (22-9) vs. Marquette (22-10), 7 p.m.
Notre Dame (23-10) vs. West Virginia (25-6), 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
BIG SKY
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Montana 81, Northern Arizona 60
Portland State 68, Montana State 65
At Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah
Tuesday, March 9 semifinals
Montana 68, Northern Colorado 63
Weber State 69, Portland State 60
Wednesday, March 10 championship
Montana 66, Weber State 65
BIG SOUTH
Tuesday, March 2 quarterfinals
Radford 64, Charleston Southern 61 OT
Winthrop 80, Liberty 72
Coastal Carolina 82, Virginia Military Institute 73
UNC Asheville 84, High Point 73
At Kimbel Arena, Conway, S.C.
Thursday, March 4 semifinals
Winthrop 61, Radford 46
Coastal Carolina 92, UNC Asheville 73
Saturday, March 6 championship
Winthrop 64, Coastal Carolina 53
BIG TEN
At Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Thursday, March 11 first round
Michigan 59, Iowa 52
Northwestern 73, Indiana 58
Minnesota 76, Penn State 55
Friday, March 12 quarterfinals
Michigan (15-16) vs. Ohio State (24-7), 12 p.m.
Illinois (18-13) vs. Wisconsin (23-7), 2:25 p.m.
Northwestern (20-12) vs. Purdue (26-4), 6:30 p.m.
Minnesota (19-12) vs. Michigan State (24-7), 8:55 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 semifinals
Michigan-Ohio State winner vs. Illinois-Wisconsin winner, 1:40 p.m.
Northwestern-Purdue winner vs. Minnesota-Michigan State winner, 4:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 14 championship
Semifinal winners, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
BIG WEST
At Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center
Wednesday, March 10 quarterfinals
Cal State Fullerton 84, Cal State Northridge 76
Cal Poly 73, UC Irvine 69
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Long Beach State 79, Cal Poly 69
UC Davis 68, Cal State Fullerton 65
Friday, March 12 semifinals
UC Santa Barbara (18-9) vs. UC Davis (14-17), 9:30 p.m.
Pacific (20-10) vs. Long Beach State (16-15), 12 a.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
COLONIAL
Friday, March 5 first round
Towson 91, UNC Wilmington 74
Virginia Commonwealth 66, Delaware 49
Hofstra 68, Georgia State 67
James Madison 77, Drexel 65
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Old Dominion 86, Towson 66
Virginia Commonwealth 75, George Mason 60
Northeastern 74, Hofstra 71 (2OT)
William & Mary 70, James Madison 65
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Old Dominion 73, Virginia Commonwealth 69
William & Mary 47, Northeastern 45
Monday, March 8 championship
Old Dominion 60, William & Mary 53
CONFERENCE USA
At BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.
Wednesday, March 10 first round
Houston 93, East Carolina 80
Southern Mississippi 57, Tulane 47
Tulsa 73, Rice 62
UCF 69, Southern Methodist 53
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Houston 66, Memphis 65
Southern Mississippi 58, UAB 44
Tulsa 80, Marshall 64
UTEP 76, UCF 54
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Houston (17-15) vs. Southern Mississippi (20-12), 4 p.m.
Tulsa (23-10) vs. UTEP (25-5), 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 11:30 a.m. (CBS)
HORIZON
Tuesday, March 2 first round
Green Bay 81, Youngstown State 67
Detroit 89, Valparaiso 82
Milwaukee 73, UIC 67
Cleveland State 80, Loyola, Ill. 66
At Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Friday, March 5 second round
Detroit 62, Green Bay 53
Milwaukee 82, Cleveland State 75
Saturday, March 6 semifinals
Wright State 69, Detroit 50
Butler 68, Milwaukee 59
Tuesday, March 9 championship
Butler 70, Wright State 45
METRO ATLANTIC
At Times Union Center, Albany, N.Y.
Friday, March 5 first round
Manhattan 94, Loyola, Md. 79
Canisius 72, Marist 54
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Siena 78, Manhattan 61
Rider 69, St. Peter’s 57
Fairfield 67, Canisius 57
Niagara 68, Iona 64
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Siena 72, Rider 62
Fairfield 69, Niagara 63
Monday, March 8 championship
Siena 72, Fairfield 65 (OT)
MID-AMERICAN
Sunday, March 7 first round
Western Michigan 75, Bowling Green 73
Eastern Michigan 65, Northern Illinois 59
Ohio 85, Ball State 77 (OT)
Buffalo 72, Toledo 54
At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Western Michigan 69, Central Michigan 60
Akron 97, Eastern Michigan 89 (2OT)
Ohio 81, Kent State 64
Miami (Ohio) 73, Buffalo 59
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Western Michigan (18-14) vs. Akron (23-9), 7 p.m.
Ohio (19-14) vs. Miami, Ohio (14-17), 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC
At Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Tuesday, March 9 first round
Bethune-Cookman 64, Florida A&M 53
North Carolina A&T 65, Howard 55
Wednesday, March 10 first round
Maryland-Eastern Shore 64, Coppin State 58
Wednesday, March 10 quarterfinals
Delaware State 57, Bethune-Cookman 55
Morgan State 84, North Carolina A&T 57
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
South Carolina State 59, Maryland-Eastern Shore 53
Hampton 73, Norfolk State 70
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Morgan State (25-9) vs. Hampton (14-17), 6 p.m.
Delaware State (17-11) vs. South Carolina State (17-13), 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
MISSOURI VALLEY
At Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Thursday, March 4 first round
Drake 63, Southern Illinois 61
Missouri State 52, Evansville 46
Friday, March 5 quarterfinals
Northern Iowa 55, Drake 40
Bradley 81, Creighton 62
Wichita State 73, Missouri State 63
Illinois State 69, Indiana State 65
Saturday, March 6 semifinals
Northern Iowa 57, Bradley 40
Wichita State 65, Illinois State 61
Sunday, March 7 championship
Northern Iowa 67, Wichita State 52
MOUNTAIN WEST
At Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.
Wednesday, March 10 first round
Air Force 59, Wyoming 40
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
New Mexico 75, Air Force 69
San Diego State 72, Colorado State 71
Brigham Young 95, Texas Christian 85
UNLV 73, Utah 61
Friday, March 12 semifinals
New Mexico (29-3) vs. San Diego State (23-8), 9 p.m.
Brigham Young (29-4) vs. UNLV (24-7), 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. (Versus)
NORTHEAST
Thursday, March 4 quarterfinals
Quinnipiac 84, Monmouth 75
Long Island 63, Fairleigh Dickinson 61
Mount St. Mary’s 65, St. Francis, Pa. 50
Robert Morris 71, Central Connecticut State 63
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Quinnipiac 83, Long Island 78
Robert Morris 80, Mount St. Mary’s 62
Wednesday, March 10 championship
Robert Morris 52, Quinnipiac 50
OHIO VALLEY
Tuesday, March 2 quarterfinals
Murray State 84, Tennessee State 51
Eastern Illinois 68, Eastern Kentucky 61
Tennessee Tech 68, Austin Peay 65
Morehead State 87, Jacksonville State 54
At Sommet Center, Nashville, Tenn.
Friday, March 5 semifinals
Murray State 55, Eastern Illinois 51
Morehead State 76, Tennessee Tech 47
Saturday, March 6 championship
Murray State 62, Morehead State 51
PACIFIC-10
At Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Wednesday, March 10 first round
Oregon 82, Washington State 80
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
UCLA 75, Arizona 69
California 90, Oregon 74
Stanford 70, Arizona State 61
Washington 59, Oregon State 52
Friday, March 12 semifinals
UCLA (14-17) vs. California (22-9), 9 p.m.
Washington (22-9) vs. Stanford (14-17), 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (CBS)
PATRIOT LEAGUE
Wednesday, March 3 quarterfinals
Lehigh 64, Army 45
American 62, Navy 60
Holy Cross 67, Bucknell 64
Lafayette 73, Colgate 65
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Lehigh 79, American 57
Lafayette 66, Holy Cross 63
Friday, March 12 championship
Lafayette (19-12) at Lehigh (21-10), 4:45 p.m. (ESPN2)
SOUTHERN
At Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, N.C.
Friday, March 5 first round
Elon 66, Davidson 59
UNC Greensboro 66, Furman 65
The Citadel 55, Samford 43
Chattanooga 82, Georgia Southern 62
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Western Carolina 68, Elon 57
Wofford 59, UNC Greensboro 47
Appalachian State 71, The Citadel 61
College of Charleston 96, Chattanooga 69
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Wofford 77, Western Carolina 58
Appalachian State 77, College of Charleston 54
Monday, March 8 championship
Wofford 56, Appalachian State 51
SOUTHLAND
At Merrell Center, Katy, Texas
Wednesday, March 10 quarterfinals
Stephen F. Austin 77, UT Arlington 54
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 78, UT San Antonio 66
Sam Houston State 62, Nicholls 57
Southeastern Louisiana 79, Texas State 78 (OT)
Thursday, March 11 semifinals
Stephen F. Austin 60, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 53
Sam Houston State 88, Southeastern Louisiana 85
Saturday, March 13 championship
Stephen F. Austin (23-8) vs. Sam Houston State (24-7), 4:05 p.m. (ESPN2)
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC
At CenturyTel Center, Shreveport, La.
Wednesday, March 10 quarterfinals
Grambling State 65, Jackson State 57
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 69, Mississippi Valley 66
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Alabama State 56, Alabama A&M 45
Texas Southern 66, Prairie View A&M 49
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Alabama State (16-14) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (15-15), 3:30 p.m.
Grambling State (7-20) vs. Texas Southern (16-15), 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
SUMMIT LEAGUE
At Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Oakland 85, Missouri-Kansas City 70
IUPUI 77, Western Illinois 68
Sunday, March 7 quarterfinals
IPFW 71, South Dakota State 66
Oral Roberts 65, North Dakota State 64 (OT)
Monday, March 8 semifinals
Oakland 71, IPFW 58
IUPUI 69, Oral Roberts 65
Tuesday, March 9 championship
Oakland 76, IUPUI 64
SUN BELT
At Summit Arena, Hot Springs, Ark.
Saturday, March 6 first round
South Alabama 52, Florida Atlantic 51
Western Kentucky 83, New Orleans 58
Arkansas State 89, Arkansas-Little Rock 82 (OT)
Denver 71, Florida International 64
Louisiana-Monroe 76, Louisiana-Lafayette 75
Sunday, March 7 quarterfinals
Troy 67, South Alabama 55
Western Kentucky 65, Arkansas State 64
Denver 73, Middle Tennessee 58
North Texas 69, Louisiana-Monroe 66
Monday, March 8 semifinals
Troy 54, Western Kentucky 48
North Texas 63, Denver 56
Tuesday, March 9 championship
North Texas 66, Troy 63
WEST COAST
At Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
Friday, March 5 quarterfinals
Loyola Marymount 87, Pepperdine 84
San Diego 61, Santa Clara 59
Saturday, March 6 quarterfinals
Loyola Marymount 84, San Francisco 76
Portland 72, San Diego 57
Sunday, March 7 semifinals
Gonzaga 77, Loyola Marymount 62
Saint Mary’s 69, Portland 55
Monday, March 8 championship
Saint Mary’s 81, Gonzaga 62
WESTERN ATHLETIC
At Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nev.
Thursday, March 11 quarterfinals
Utah State 84, Boise State 60
Louisiana Tech 74, Fresno State 66
Nevada 87, Idaho 71
New Mexico State 90, San Jose State 69
Friday, March 12 semifinals
Utah State (26-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (22-9), 9 p.m.
Nevada (20-11) vs. New Mexico State (20-11), 12 a.m.
Saturday, March 13 championship
Semifinal winners, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
NCAA TOURNAMENT
ALREADY IN (14)
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State (20-14)
Big Sky: Montana (22-9)
Big South: Winthrop (19-13)
Colonial Athletic: Old Dominion (26-8)
Horizon: Butler (28-4)
Ivy League: Cornell (27-4)
Metro Atlantic: Siena (27-6)
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa (28-4)
Northeast: Robert Morris (23-11)
Ohio Valley: Murray State (30-4)
Southern: Wofford (26-8)
Summit: Oakland (26-8)
Sun Belt: North Texas (24-8)
West Coast: Saint Mary’s (26-5)
CHAMPIONSHIPS REMAINING (17)
Friday (1): Patriot
Saturday (12): American East, Big East, Big 12, Big West, Conference USA, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pacific-10, Southland, Southwestern Athletic, Western Athletic
Sunday (4): ACC, Atlantic 10, Big Ten, SEC