Photo courtesy of Gonzaga athletics
The number of automatic berths secured the NCAA Tournament went from seven to 12 on an upset-free Tuesday night.
In four of the five conference tournament finals, the top seed won. In all five finals, the higher seed won on Tuesday.
Without further ado, here’s a look back on Tuesday’s championship games:
Colonial: (6) Northeastern 61, (1) Hofstra 70
Sixth-seeded Northeastern led by five in the second half, but its Cinderella run would come to an end. The Huskies led at the under-8 timeout, but Hofstra went on a 20-6 run and never looked back. Jalen Ray hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Pride ahead for good. Desure Buie led Hofstra with 20 points. Maxime Boursiquot finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to lead Northeastern. The conference title is the first ever for Hofstra. The Pride had not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2001.
Horizon: (4) Illinois-Chicago 62, (2) Northern Kentucky 71
The only non-No. 1 seed to win on Tuesday night, Northern Kentucky shot 50 percent from the field to win its third Horizon League title in four years. The Norse were outrebounded by 13, but held Illinois-Chicago to 3-for-15 from beyond the arc. Tyler Sharpe finished with 16 points to lead Northern Kentucky. Tarkus Ferguson led the Flames with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Northeast: (2) Saint Francis 67, (1) Robert Morris 77
Robert Morris trailed just briefly on Tuesday night before cruising to its first Northeast Conference title since 2015. Both teams shot 48 percent from the field, but Saint Francis managed to go just 3-for-17 from deep. The Colonials led by as many as 17 points in the second half. Dante Treacy led the team with 18 points. Keith Braxton led the Red Flash with a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds.
Summit: (6) North Dakota 53, (1) North Dakota State 89
In an in-state battle for Summit League supremacy, North Dakota State opened the game on a 21-2 run and never looked back. The Bison shot 55 percent from the field and 13-for-25 from deep. Vinnie Shahid and Tyson Ward finished with 25 and 23 points, respectively, for North Dakota State in the win. Freshman De’Sean Allen-Eikens led North Dakota with 17 points in the loss. The conference title is North Dakota State’s second straight and fourth in seven years.
West Coast: (3) St. Mary’s 66, (1) Gonzaga 84
Gonzaga may have wrapped up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with its seventh West Coast Conference title in eight years on Tuesday night. In a rematch of last season’s WCC final won by St. Mary’s, Gonzaga led by just one at halftime before opening the second half on a 7-0 run. The lead grew to as many as 24 for the Bulldogs in the second half. Drew Timme and Joel Ayayi each scored 17 points in the win. Jordan Ford led the Gaels with a game-high 27 points.
Wednesday’s Championship Slate
Patriot: (3) Boston vs. (1) Colgate – 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
Tickets Punched
Atlantic Sun: Liberty
Big South: Winthrop
Colonial: Hofstra
Horizon: Northern Kentucky
Ivy: Yale
Missouri Valley: Bradley
Mountain West: Utah State
Northeast: Robert Morris
Ohio Valley: Belmont
Southern: East Tennessee State
Summit: North Dakota State
West Coast: Gonzaga
Mike Ferguson is the associate editor for Fifth Quarter and the editor of The Daily Nole. Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeWFerguson. Follow all of Mike’s work by liking his Facebook page.