College basketball: Appalachian State, UNCG clinch NCAA tournament bids
Michael Almonacy scored a career-high 32 points with six 3-pointers and Appalachian State
The WCC Conference Championship stretches from March 4th through 9th with games played at the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The tournament will include 10 teams, who will play single-elimination games with no reseeding, but gives a triple-bye to the top two teams, a double-bye to the third and fourth teams, and a single bye to the fifth and sixth teams.
Most of the coverage for the WCC tournament games will span across the ESPN broadcast platforms. Game 5 is set for ESPNU, while Game 6 and Semifinal 2 are set for ESPN2. Semifinal 1, set to feature Gonzaga, will air on ESPN, as will the championship game.
Because of the unbalanced scheduling in the WCC this year, the league collaborated with Ken Pomeroy to determine the bracket seeds via a proprietary algorithm.
WCC Final 2021: Gonzaga vs BYU Live WCC Conference Championship Tonight ESPN
Horizon Final 2021: Oakland vs Cleveland State Live Horizon League Championship Tonight ESPN
NEC Final 2021: Bryant vs Mount St. Mary’s Live NEC Tournament Championship Tonight ESPN
Gonzaga is a massive favorite to repeat in this event. Gonzaga currently ranks No. 1 overall in Ken Pomeroy’s ratings and the NCAA’s NET rankings, and are the favorite in most 2021 March Madness brackets as well. BYU is other team with a bye, ranking 22nd in the KenPom averages and No. 20 in the NET.
Tuesday, March 9
Championship: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 BYU, 9 p.m. ET, on ESPN
The 2021 Horizon League tournament is right around the corner as teams position themselves for the best possible chance at earning the conference’s automatic bid. Twelve teams will go for a shot at the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The 2020 version was one of the tournaments that started and finished. The Northern Kentucky Norse finished on top in a championship game against the UIC Flames, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
How can I watch the Horizon Tournament?
All opening round and quarterfinal games until the Final will take place on ESPN+, with one semifinals on ESPNU on March 8th at 6:30 p.m., and the other on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. The championship game will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPNU, and all games can be streamed via the WatchESPN app with a cable or streaming service login. If you don’t have a cable login to access the ESPN app, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream it.
Tournament: Progressive Insurance Horizon League Championship – Final
TV schedule: Tuesday, March 9, 7:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana
Teams: Oakland Golden Grizzlies 12-17 (10-10) and Cleveland State Vikings 18-7 (16-4)
A year ago, Oakland had defeated Cleveland State by a score of 80-59 in the Horizon League Tournament opening round. Now, these two teams are playing for the opportunity to receive the automatic bid from the Horizon League to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
The NEC Conference Championship stretches from March 6th to March 9th, with games on the home floors of the higher seeds. The championship game will be hosted by the highest remaining seed remaining. The tournament will include four teams, who will play single-elimination games with no reseeding.
The NEC semifinals take place Saturday, March 6 and will air on NEC Front Row and on ESPN3. The championship game will air on ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 9.
The Wagner Seahawks are the top seed following a 13-5 conference season. The second seeded Bryant Bulldogs are viewed better in the analytics. Bryant ranks No. 184 in the KenPom rankings and No. 130 in the NET Rankings from the NCAA, while Wagner ranks 209 and 153 in the two rankings, respectively.
Tuesday, March 9
Championship: No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s vs. No. 2 Bryant, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The Summit Conference Championship stretches from March 6-9, with all games played at The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The tournament will include eight teams, who will play single-elimination games with no reseeding, with Denver the only team from the league not to qualify.
All games will be broadcast on both local syndicator MidCo Sports as well as ESPN+, until the Final when ESPN2 takes over as the only outlet.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits enter as the top seed, with a 9-3 record in the league and a 15-6 overall mark. SDSU currently is No. 117 in the KenPom rankings, and at No. 122 in the NET Rankings from the NCAA. They’re followed by their rival South Dakota Coyotes, who were 11-4 in the league and 13-10 overall. USD is No. 182 in KenPom, and No. 181 in NET. No matter what happens, this is a one-bid league for the NCAA Tournament.
March 9th Final
Game 7: No. 4 Oral Roberts 90-88 over No. 3 North Dakota State, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
