2024 March Madness scores, conference tournament brackets: Saint Mary’s tops Gonzaga for WCC title
The Gaels, Charleston, Wagner, South Dakota State and Oakland punched their tickets on Tuesday
Saint Mary’s would have made the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, but it snagged the WCC’s automatic bid for good measure by edging No. 2 seed Gonzaga 69-60 to win the season series 2-1. The No. 1 seed Gaels are projected as a No. 7 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology after defeating their conference rival.
South Dakota State clinched the Summit League’s automatic bid for the seventh time in the last 13 seasons by outlasting No. 7 seed Denver 76-68. The No. 1 seed Jackrabbits have won eight straight entering the Big Dance, where they are projected as a No. 15 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology.
Three more automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament will be secured Wednesday as Selection Sunday approaches with conference tournaments both ramping up and winding down across the country. The top six league tournaments will all be underway by night’s end, but the stakes are highest in the Big Sky, Patriot League and Southland Conference.
No. 6 seed Wagner upset No. 2 seed Merrimack 54-47 in the NEC Tournament final to secure the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 2003. By leading his program to the Big Dance, second-year Seahawks coach Donald Copeland has now accomplished something even Dan Hurley never did in his two-year stint Wagner stint from 2010-12.
No. 1 seed Charleston is going dancing for the second year in a row after besting No. 7 seed Stony Brook 82-79 in overtime for the CAA Tournament title. The Cougars have won 12 straight entering Selection Sunday and won’t be intimidated in any matchup after taking No. 5 seed and eventual Final Four team San Diego State down to the wire in last year’s first round.
Top-seeded Oakland secured its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2011 and third overall under veteran coach Greg Kampe by winning the Horizon League final 83-76 over No. 6 seed Milwaukee. Trey Townsend led the way with a career-high 38 points and 11 rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies.
As automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament are secured, we’ll be noting each of them here.
Tuesday’s conference tournament scoreboard
Coastal Athletic Association: Championship
(1) College of Charleston 82, (7) Stony Brook 79
Horizon League: Championship
(1) Oakland 83, (6) Milwaukee 76
NEC: Championship
(6) Wagner 54, (2) Merrimack 47
Summit League: Championship
(1) South Dakota State 76, (7) Denver 68
WCC: Championship
(1) Saint Mary’s 69, (2) Gonzaga 60
OTHER TOURNAMENTS IN ACTION
- ACC: First round LIVE updates
- America East: Semifinals
- Atlantic 10: First round
- Big 12: First round LIVE updates
- Big Sky: Semifinals
- Conference USA: First round
- MAAC: First round
- Southland: Semifinals
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 | Wednesday, March 13 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| 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 | Wednesday, March 13 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) |
| 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 | Wednesday, March 13 5 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| 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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