All they do is win, win, win

Gonzaga claims another WCC crown, while Oral Roberts and Charleston both claim autobids. Plus, odds and brackets for every conference tournament this week, and much more.

Author

Mike Miller
March 08, 2023

College hoops games tip off at 11:30 am ET today. Better clear those calendars!

Let's get to Tuesday's news.

1. Death, taxes and Gonzaga wins the WCC

Some things never change. No matter how good Saint Mary's defense might be.

No. 9 Gonzaga smoked No. 16 Saint Mary's, 77-51, in the West Coast Conference title game on Tuesday night, winning their fourth consecutive conference tournament and 10th in 11 years. That leaves the Zags (28-5) in a familiar spot as the NCAA Tournament nears — in line for a Top 3 seed.

A familiar face led the way, too. Drew Timme scored 18 points and became Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer in the process. He found gaps in the Gaels' defense, whether down low or moving without the ball to an open spot. Timme set the tone. And he knew it.

"I took for granted winning," Timme said. "I won so much in my career, it's a shock not to win. I think early in the year, it just kind of made me appreciate what it takes to win night in and night out. I think sometimes we kind of assume we were just going to win because we're Gonzaga.

"Sometimes it's hard not to fall into the mindset we just need to get to March. It was a grind this season. I think that grind has made us as a group appreciate each and every night winning and what it takes to win and be a good team."

The Gaels (26-7) shared the WCC regular-season crown and entered as the top seed, but their defense couldn't contain the Zags. In back-to-back games against Gonzaga, Saint Mary's has allowed at least 1.23 points per possession. They'll still likely be a Top 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament, meaning the WCC is set up for at least a few wins next week.

2. Oral Roberts leaves no doubt

The Golden Eagles are officially back in the NCAA Tournament after a 92-58 win over North Dakota State in the Summit League title game.

They'll be a popular Cinderella when the brackets come out. Hard not to be when you're 30-4, have a likely All-American guard in Max Abmas, have the nation's longest winning streak (17) and have lost just once since Nov. 23. 

And yes, they've been playing like a team with a gaudy record.

Abmas had 26 points and 11 assists in Wednesday's win, a game that was never close. Oral Roberts was up 15-3 by the first TV timeout, led by 31 at halftime, and never took its foot off the gas. It wasn't just about the offense, either. 

The Bison (16-17) shot just 32.2 percent from the field and scored just .83 points per possession. That'll be the key in the NCAA Tournament, too. The Eagles' offense is capable of scoring in bunches — and also doesn't turn the ball over with the nation's best offensive turnover percentage — but the defense is significantly better than it was during their last trip in 2021 when they made the Sweet 16.

With 7-5 Connor Vanover blocking and altering shots, Oral Roberts' interior defense is a strength. Keep that in mind when it probably lands as a 12-seed.

3. Charleston clinches its spot, plus other results

In the end, College of Charleston made any question of an at-large bid academic. 

The Cougars outlasted UNC Wilmington in a terrific Colonial Athletic Championship game, 63-58, clinching the league's automatic bid and their school record 31st game. There had been speculation among bracket experts that if Charleston (31-3) lost, it might get squeezed when it came to an auto bid due to its weak SOS. 

Midway through the second half, it seemed like a valid question. The Seahawks (24-10) used a 20-5 run to claim a 53-45 lead with 6:13 remaining. But Charleston ripped a 10-0 spurt of its own to retake control.

Ryan Larson scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 3:33 remaining that gave the Cougars a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Seahawks hit a 3-pointer nearly a minute later that cut the lead to 57-56, but a turnover on their next possession, followed by a block, essentially sealed it for CofC. 

Now? They're dancing for the first time since 2018.

Other results to know: 

Northern Kentucky 63, Cleveland State 61The Norse (22-12) are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third time since 2017 by holding off the Vikings (21-13) in the Horizon League final. Marques Warrick led NKU with 18 points.

Merrimack 67, Fairleigh Dickinson 66Jordan McKoy made the game-winning free throw with 8 seconds remaining to cap a thrilling 8-0 rally in the final minutes and give the Warriors (18-16) the Northeast Conference Tournament title — even if they don't get the automatic bid to the Big Dance because of NCAA rules limiting teams making the jump to D-I. (Man, that was a long sentence.) That leaves the Knights (19-15) off to (probably) Dayton.

Virginia Tech 67, Notre Dame 64Mike Brey's tenure in South Bend is officially over. The Irish (11-21) couldn't contain Grant Basile (20 points) and Justyn Mutts (18), who blocked a late 3-pointer from Marcus Hammond to preserve the win.

Boston College 80, Louisville 62The Eagles (16-16) didn't even need leading scorer Quinten Post to put an end to Louisville's nightmare season. The Cardinals ended Kenny Payne's first season at 4-28. More interesting? He doesn't sound like he's contemplating any changes to his staff.

Northern Arizona 83, Montana 71Jalen Cone scored 28 points as the Lumberjacks (12-22) outran the Grizz (17-14) and will now play in the Big Sky Championship. Talk about a Cinderella. It's not just hyperbole, either. Northern Arizona had won seven games against D-I opponents entering the tournament.

Montana State 60, Weber State 58, 2 OTRaeQuan Battle's last-second alley-oop sent the Bobcats (24-9) to the Big Sky title game.

Good thing, too. Because the other potential game-winners had been a wee bit short in a rock fight of a game.

Other conference tournament results:

ACC: Georgia Tech 61, Florida State 60America East: UMass Lowell 75, New Hampshire 64; Vermont 79, Binghamton 57Atlantic 10: Richmond 71, UMass 38; St. Joseph's 72, Loyola Chicago 67; La Salle 73, Rhode Island 56Big West: Cal State Bakersfield 51, Cal State Northridge 47; Cal Poly 88, Long Beach State 68MAAC: Mount St. Mary 67, Canisius 66; Saint Peter's 70, Fairfield 52; Marist 61, Manhattan 50Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 80, McNeese State 63; Northwestern State 74, New Orleans 70WAC: Cal Baptist 69, Abilene Christian 62; Grand Canyon 82, UT Arlington 77; Tarleton 74, UT Rio Grande Valley 70; Utah Tech 80, Stephen F. Austin 76

4. Conference tournament schedules, brackets

A handful of conference tournaments started play on Tuesday — the A-10, ACC, Big West, MAAC and WAC — but things really kick into gear starting today. Nine more conference tournaments get underway at noon or shortly thereafter, and the last three start on Thursday so seemed like a good day to post the remaining schedules and brackets for each one, along with some analysis.

ATLANTIC 10: VCU (24-7) is the A-10's top seed, but with Saint Louis (20-11) as a 4-seed on their side of the bracket, it's second-seeded Dayton (20-11) that has the best odds of cutting down the nets. Does that mean feel-good story Fordham doesn't have a chance? Hey, I'm not about to underestimate Keith Urgo. (Championship game is Sunday at 1 pm ET on CBS; Full bracket)

ACC: Let's get this out of the way — North Carolina's got the fourth-best odds to win this thing. But anyone willing to bet on the Heels earning the automatic berth might need to seek help. (Or is just a true blue fan...) Duke (23-8) might be the best pick to win it, though Virginia (23-6), Miami (24-6) and Pitt (21-10) could all make a case. (Championship game is Saturday at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN; Full bracket)

BIG EAST: Whoa. Is UConn (24-7) really gonna win this thing? Are we back to doubting regular-season champ Marquette (25-6) or sneaky good Creighton (20-11)? Without Zach Freemantle, I can see why Xavier (23-8) might be seen as a longshot. All I know for sure is these semifinals on Friday night are gonna be great. (Championship game is Saturday at 6:30 pm ET on FOX; Full bracket)

BIG TEN: If Purdue (26-5) doesn't win this thing, it'll be hard to believe the Boilermakers can put it together for a Final Four run. Sure, any of about six other teams could win, but shouldn't Purdue be able to handle a bunch of teams that fumbled over one another en route to being 12-8 or 11-9? (Championship game is Sunday at 3:30 pm ET on CBS; Full bracket)

BIG 12: Put every team on a wall, and throw a dart at it. That's your winner. Well, basically. There's probably an edge for the "local" teams like Kansas (25-6), Kansas State (23-8) and Iowa State (18-12), but I'd lean toward Texas. (Championship game is Saturday at 6 pm ET on ESPN; Full bracket)

PAC-12: The Bruins (27-4) are heavy favorites, though they still haven't said anything about Jaylen Clark's health. Does that swing things toward Arizona (25-6), or a longshot like USC (22-9), or even Oregon (18-13)? (Championship game is Saturday at 10:30 pm ET on FS1; Full bracket)

SEC: The odds favor Alabama (26-5) and Tennessee (22-9). Me, I'm thinking Kentucky (21-10) may have finally figured it all out. But you know what they say. "Fool me once, shame on your, fool me 15 times, it's John Calipari's fault." (Championship game is Sunday at 1 pm ET on ESPN; Full bracket)

AAC: Safe to say, if anyone other than Houston (29-2) wins, it'll be a surprise. Could Memphis (23-8) finally beat the Cougars after two losses this season by a combined 10 points? Nah. (Championship game is Saturday at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN; Full bracket)

MEAC: Can Howard (19-12) defy the odds and claim the auto-bid? NC Central (17-11) and Norfolk State (20-10) both have better odds despite being on the same side of the bracket. (Championship game is Saturday at 1 pm ET on ESPN2; Full bracket)

MOUNTAIN WEST: San Diego State (24-6) seems like it should be a bigger favorite to win, but Utah State (24-7), Boise State (23-8) and Nevada (22-9) all have a decent shot. Plus, they're all trying to bolster at-large bids as well. (Championship game is Saturday at 6 pm ET on CBS; Full bracket)

BIG WEST: Anyone who tells you they know who's winning this is lying. UC Irvine (22-10), UC Santa Barbara (24-7), UC Riverside (21-11) and Hawai'i (22-10) all have a shot. Rolling with the regular-season co-champs, who also have the player of the year, is probably the way to go, so go Gauchos. (Championship game is Saturday at 11:30 pm ET on ESPN2; Full bracket)

CONFERENCE USA: Florida Atlantic (28-3) should have an at-large bid sewn up regardless of how it finishes here. Maybe that opens the door for UAB (23-8), North Texas (25-6), or even Charlotte (18-13). (Championship game is Saturday at 8:30 pm ET on CBS Sports Network; Full bracket)

IVY: Yale (20-7) should win. But with just four teams vying for the auto-bid, it's anyone's game. (Championship game is Sunday at Noon ET on ESPN2; Full bracket)

MAAC: Iona lost a shocker last season. No way the Gaels (24-7) do that again as heavy favorites, right? (Championship game is Saturday at 4 pm ET on ESPN2; Full bracket)

SWAC: Grambling State (22-8) has favorable odds, mostly because Alcorn State (18-12) and Southern (15-16) are headed for a semifinal showdown.  (Championship game is Saturday at 5:30 pm ET on ESPNU; Full bracket)

WAC: Sam Houston State (24-6) gets the nod as the favorite, but I'll roll with Utah Valley (24-7), the regular-season champ that won the only meeting between the two this season. (Championship game is Saturday at 11 pm ET on ESPN2; Full bracket)

5. No big changes for NCAA tourney announcers

It could be a wild NCAA Tournament, with loads of upsets and an unconventional Final Four. But the announcers will sound familiar.

CBS and Warner Bros Discovery Sports released the announcing teams for this year's men's tourney, and there aren't any surprises in store for viewers (especially when the real change comes next year after Jim Nantz retires). The only news roles are:

  • Jay Wright will be a studio analyst throughout the tourney, including the Final Four

  • Stan Van Gundy will replace Reggie Miller (as previously announced) as a game analyst

  • Evan Washburn and Lauren Shehadi will be reporters through the regional finals.

Beyond that, the studio crew is the same. Greg Gumbel hosts studio coverage from CBS in New York, joined by Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg and Kenny Smith as well as Wally Szczerbiak. Ernie Johnson hosts studio coverage from WBD Studios in Atlanta alongside Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Seth Davis. Additionally, Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe will also serve as hosts from New York and Atlanta, respectively.

The full list, arranged by play-by-play / analyst // reporter

  • Jim Nantz / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill // Tracy Wolfson*

  • Brian Anderson / Jim Jackson // Allie LaForce*

  • Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel // Evan Washburn*

  • Kevin Harlan / Dan Bonner / Stan Van Gundy // Lauren Shehadi*

  • Lisa Byington / Steve Smith / Avery Johnson // Andy Katz

  • Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas // Jamie Erdahl

  • Spero Dedes / Deb Antonelli // AJ Ross

  • Brad Nessler / Brendan Haywood // Dana Jacobson

*Regional Weekend Announce Teams

A trio of title games

Most every league will be in action today, but the focus tonight will be on three automatic bids on the line. The Southand tips at 5 pm ET on ESPN2 and features the league's two top teams in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (22-10) against Northwestern State (22-10). The Patriot League final follows (7:30 pm ET on CBS Sports Network) and has heavy-favorite Colgate (25-8) going against surprising Lafayette (11-22). It closes with the Big Sky, where longshot of longshots Northern Arizona (12-22) plays Montana State (24-9) at 11:30 pm ET on ESPN2.

More games to watch (All times ET)

  • Georgia Tech (15-17) vs. Pitt (21-10), 2:30 pm (ESPN)

  • Ohio State (13-18) vs. Wisconsin (17-13), 6:30 pm (Big Ten Network)

  • Texas Tech (16-15) vs. West Virginia (18-13), 7 pm (ESPNU)

  • Boston College (16-16) vs. North Carolina (19-12), 7 pm (ESPN2)

  • Georgetown (7-24) vs. Villanova (16-15), 8 pm (FS1)

  • Oklahoma (15-16) vs. Oklahoma State (17-14), 9:30 pm (ESPNU)

  • Virginia Tech vs. NC State, 9:30 pm (ESPN2)

Big Ten's best hope?

The Big Ten hasn't won a national title since 2000. For anyone crossing their fingers this might be the year, Rob Dauster's starting to think that it might be Michigan State who's the most likely to do that, not Purdue. But he can explain.

Links as more and more all-league honors roll in. Wait ... those are the links!

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