High Point is dancing its way into the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a Division I member after erasing a 15-point second-half deficit and defeating Winthrop 81-69 Sunday in the Big South Tournament championship game. The Panthers punched their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time after transitioning to Division I in 1999-2000.
Second-year coach Alan Huss led the Panthers to the regular-season Big South title to help them earn the No. 1 seed in the bracket. They defeated Gardner-Webb, Radford and Winthrop in the tourney. High Point will move into the NCAA Tournament bracket riding a 14-game winning streak that dates back to mid-January.
Omaha won’t be playing for the Summit League Tournament title until Sunday, but the Mavericks assured themselves of a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament late Saturday night. Omaha’s opponent in the Summit League Tournament final is No. 2 seed St. Thomas, which is in the final year of its four-year transition period from Division III to Division I. Due to NCAA rules, the Tommies won’t be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until next season, thus clearing the path for Omaha to make its first-ever Big Dance appearance regardless of what happens in the tournament title game.
Bracketology: Alabama contending for the fourth No. 1 after beating overall top seed Auburn
Jerry Palm
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion will be crowned Sunday when No. 1 seed Drake and No. 2 seed Bradley square off with a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line. The teams split their regular season series and will be settling the score with a high-stakes showdown on CBS.
Both had to overcome double-digit deficits in the semifinals to reach this point. Drake trailed No. 4 seed Belmont by 12 before roaring back with a 36-20 edge in the second half to beat the Bruins 57-50. Bradley rallied from an 11-point deficit to edge No. 11 seed Valparaiso 70-65.
SportsLine conference tournament odds, picks: Proven experts share best bets for every tourney
Sunday’s conference tournament scoreboard
- ASUN final: (2) Lipscomb vs. (1) North Alabama | ESPN2
- Big Sky: Quarterfinals
- Big South final: (1) High Point 81, (3) Winthrop 69
- CAA: Quarterfinals
- Missouri Valley final: (2) Bradley vs. (1) Drake | CBS
- Patriot League: Semifinals
- Southern: Semifinals
- Southland: First round
- Summit League final: (2) St. Thomas vs. (1) Omaha, 9 p.m. | CBS Sports Network
- Sun Belt: Semifinals
- WCC: Fourth round
2025 conference tournaments
| Conference | Location | Dates | Championship game / Tournament champion |
| ACC | Charlotte, North Carolina | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| America East | Campus sites | March 8,11,15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 11 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| American | Fort Worth, Texas | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 3:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| ASUN | Campus sites | March 2,3,6,9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 2 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Atlantic 10 | Washington D.C. | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Big East | New York City | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6:30 p.m. | Fox |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 8-12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 11:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Big South | Johnson City, Tennessee | March 5,7-9 | High Point (29-5) |
| Big Ten | Indianapolis | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 3:30 p.m. | CBS |
| Big West | Henderson, Nevada | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 9:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Coastal Athletic | Washington D.C. | March 7-11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Conference USA | Huntsville, Alabama | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Horizon League | Campus sites | March 4,6,10,11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Ivy | Providence, Rhode Island | March 15-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, New Jersey | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| MAC | Cleveland | March 13-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 7:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Virginia | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 6-9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 2:10 p.m. | CBS |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | CBS |
| Northeast | Campus sites | March 5,8.11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Indiana | March 5-8 | SIUE (22-11) |
| Patriot | Campus sites | March 4,6,9,12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 7 p.m. | CBSSN |
| SEC | Nashville | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Southern | Asheville, North Carolina | March 7-10 | Mon., Mar. 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Southland | Lake Charles, Louisiana | March 9-12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | March 5-9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 9 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Florida | March 4-10 | Mon., Mar. 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| SWAC | Atlanta | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 9:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| WAC | St. George, Utah / Las Vegas | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 11:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| WCC | Las Vegas | March 6-11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 9 p.m. | ESPN |
