The Cowboys won the Southland title and the Raiders won the Patriot League crown to win automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament
• 3 min read
More NCAA Tournament bids were secured on Wednesday as conference tournament action rolled on around college basketball. While all of the major conferences were in action, the stakes were highest in places like the Southland Conference and Patriot League.
McNeese punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 as the No. 1 seed Cowboys edged No. 3 seed Nicholls 92-76 in the Southland final. First-year coach Will Wade’s club will enter the Big Dance with a record of 30-3 after 11 consecutive losing seasons before his arrival.
Colgate is headed to its fifth straight NCAA Tournament after beating No. 6 seed Lehigh 74-55 in the Patriot League final. The program had only made two NCAA Tournament appearances in its history before this incredible streak of league dominance began under coach Matt Langel.
Those teams joined the ranks of teams like James Madison, Samford and Charleston among the ranks of potential Cinderella teams who are guaranteed to hear their names called Sunday during the March Madness Selection Show on CBS.
All the major conferences will be playing again on Thursday, but the stakes are highest elsewhere as the fight for automatic NCAA Tournament bids continues. The MAC is among the likely one-bid leagues in action Thursday, as postseason action rolls on during a loaded day of games. No. 1 seed Toledo is taking on No. 8 seed Kent State in the MAC Tournament opener but the league was a battle all year, and several schools have eyes on the prize.
As automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament are secured, we’ll be noting each of them here.
Wednesday’s conference tournament scoreboard
Southland: Championship
(1) McNeese 92 (3) Nicholls State 76
Patriot League: Championship
(1) Colgate 74, (6) Lehigh 55
Big Sky: Championship
(5) Montana State 85, (3) Montana 70
OTHER TOURNAMENTS IN ACTION
- AAC: First round
- ACC: Second round LIVE updates
- Atlantic 10: Second round
- Big East: First round LIVE updates
- Big West: First round
- Big 12: Second round LIVE updates
- Conference USA: Quarterfinals
- MAAC: Quarterfinals
- MEAC: Quarterfinals
- Mountain West: First round LIVE updates
- Pac-12: First round LIVE updates
- SEC: First round LIVE updates
- SWAC: Quarterfinals
- WAC: First round
2024 conference tournament schedules, champions
All times ET
| Conference | City | Dates | Final (TV) / Champion |
| ACC | Washington D.C. | March 12-16 | Saturday, March 16 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) |
| America East | Campus Sites | March 9, 12, 16 | Saturday, March 16 11 a.m. (ESPN2) |
| American | Fort Worth, Texas | March 13-17 | Sunday, March 17 3:15 p.m. (ESPN) |
| ASUN | Campus Sites | March 4-5, 7, 10 | Stetson (22-12) |
| Atlantic 10 | Brooklyn | March 12-14, 16-17 | Sunday, March 17 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 12-16 | Saturday. March 16 6 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Big East | New York City | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 6:30 p.m. (Fox) |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 9, 10-13 | Montana State (17-17) |
| Big South | High Point, North Carolina | March 6, 8-10 | Longwood (21-13) |
| Big Ten | Minneapolis | March 13-17 | Sunday, March 17 3:30 p.m. (CBS) |
| Big West | Henderson, Nevada | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| Coastal Athletic | Washington, D.C. | March 8-12 | Charleston (27-7) |
| Conference USA | Huntsville, Alabama | March 12-16 | Saturday, March 16 8:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) |
| Horizon League | Campus sites | Indianapolis | March 5, 7, 11-12 | Oakland (23-11) |
| Ivy | New York City | March 16-17 | Sunday, March 17 12 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, New Jersey | March 12-16 | Saturday, March 16 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU) |
| MAC | Cleveland | March 14-16 | Saturday, March 16 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Virginia | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 1 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 7-10 | Drake (28-6) |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 6 p.m. (CBS) |
| Northeast | Campus Sites | March 6, 9, 12 | Wagner (16-15) |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Indiana | March 6-9 | Morehead State (26-8) |
| Pac-12 | Las Vegas | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 9 p.m. (Fox) |
| Patriot | Campus Sites | March 5, 7, 10, 13 | Colgate (25-9) |
| SEC | Nashville | March 13-17 | Sunday, March 17 1 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Southern | Asheville, North Carolina | March 8-11 | Samford (29-5) |
| Southland | Lake Charles, Louisiana | March 10-13 | McNeese (30-3) |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | March 8-12 | South Dakota State (22-12) |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Florida | March 5, 7, 9, 10-11 | James Madison (31-3) |
| SWAC | Birmingham, Alabama | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU) |
| WAC | Las Vegas | March 13-16 | Saturday, March 16 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| WCC | Las Vegas | March 7-9, 11-12 | Saint Mary’s (26-7) |
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