'It felt like a championship crew'

Good morning! After a run of automatic bids clinched during conference tournament finals, we have a two-day stretch where it’s just basketball without any finals.

Hope you’re ready for more bubble talk.

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1. McNeese, Lehigh and Idaho clinch autobids

Three teams secured their spot in March Madness on Wednesday with conference title game victories.

Let’s start with McNeese, which dominated the No. 1 seed Stephen F. Austin, 76-59, to win the Southland. The Cowboys (28-5, 19-3) used 31 points from senior guard Javohn Garcia and will head to the dance for a third-straight season.

McNeese coach Bill Armstrong also became the first coach in league history to earn an NCAA Tournament bid in his first season as a D-I head coach. The After Dark Crew caught up with him postgame.

In the Patriot League title game, No. 2 Lehigh defeated No. 4 Boston U, 74-60. The Terriers shot just 1-of-16 from 3-point range, and Lehigh used a balanced scoring effort with four players in double-figures to get the win.

The Mountain Hawks (18-16, 14-7) were picked eighth in the Patriot League preseason poll, and now they’re dancing for the first time since 2012. This will also be coach Brett Reed’s third trip to the dance at Lehigh.

‘It’s incredibly special for me,” he said. “I love the way these guys have come together”

Finally, to end a packed day of college hoops, the No. 7-seed in the Big Sky, Idaho, defeated No. 4 Montana, 77-66, to win Starch Madness. The Vandals (21-14, 13-9) won just its fifth conference title in school history and are headed to the Big Dance for the first time since 1990.

“It feels like a championship crew,” coach Alex Pribble said. “I’ve felt that way all year. So during some of the ups-and-downs, we just had to trust the process and stay with what we were doing.”

Idaho senior guard Isaiah Brickner led the way with 23 points in the title game. Montana is top-40 in the nation in 3-point percentage at 36.6%, and the Vandals held the Grizzlies to 6-of-25 (24%) from deep. That paved the way for the win.

2. Cincinnati’s meltdown likely kills tourney hopes

Cincinnati held a 58-50 lead with 2:09 remaining against UCF and had a 95.1% chance to win. But then disaster struck.

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