2025 March Madness: Conference tournament scores, automatic bids, tickets punched to Big Dance, brackets

A “bid thief” emerged on Saturday as No. 2 seed Colorado State topped No. 5 seed Boise State to win the Mountain West Tournament. With the victory, the Rams clinched an automatic bid to  the NCAA Tournament after they entered the day on the wrong side of the bubble in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology.

It’s possible Colorado State may have stolen a bid from a member of its own league as Mountain West bubble teams Boise State and San Diego State will be sweating it out leading up to Sunday’s Selection Show on CBS. New Mexico and Utah State are regarded as safely in the Big Dance field by Palm.

With Colorado State punching its ticket, the league is on track to get a minimum of three teams in the field. But that number could rise to five if both Boise State and San Diego State make the cut. Palm projected after the Mountain West Tournament title game that the Broncos will remain in the field as the last team in and that San Diego State will make it as well.

The Mountain West Tournament title game was just one of several in the works on Saturday during a loaded slate of conference tournament action.

No. 1 seed Akron rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to edge No. 2 seed Miami (Ohio) 76-74 in a MAC Tournament final that featured a dramatic ending. Nate Johnson clinched it for the Zips with a transition lay-up with 2.3 seconds remaining before a desperation heave from the Redhawks that was off the mark. It was a bittersweet win for Zips coach John Groce, who took down his brother, Travis Steele, on the opposing sideline as their mother watched on.

South Carolina State suffered a brutal beat Saturday in the finals of the MEAC Tournament as top-seeded Norfolk State escaped with a 66-65 win under bizarre circumstances. South Carolina State got a game-tying bucket from Caleb McCarty with 10 seconds left, but apparently he remained under the impression that his team was trailing.

McCarty quickly fouled Norfolk State’s Christian Ings, who went to the free-throw line and put Norfolk State ahead by a point, which proved to be the difference. South Carolina State got one last attempt at a potential game-winning shot. But it missed, which allowed Norfolk State to secure a bid to the Big Dance.

The hours leading up to Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection show on CBS are going to be packed with drama and intrigue as the final conference tournament champions are crowned in the build-up to the 68-team bracket reveal. 

Bubble teams across college basketball will be rooting for No. 1 seed Memphis to beat No. 3 seed UAB in the AAC Tournament final so that the Blazers don’t become a bid thief. If the Tigers win, the AAC will be a one-bid league, but a UAB victory would double that number and knock an at-large candidate out of the field.

VCU could have a case for NCAA Tournament inclusion even if the top-seeded Rams lose to No. 2 seed George Mason in the A10 Tournament title game. But VCU can take matters into its own hands with a conference tournament crown. In the Ivy League, No. 1 seed Yale will play No. 2 seed Cornell as the Bulldogs seek their third victory over the Big Red.

A couple of high-major conferences will also be in action as the Big Ten and SEC crown champions. No. 2 seed Florida and No. 4 seed Tennessee will tangle in the SEC Tournament title game, and No. 2 seed Maryland will take on No. 3 seed Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament championship.

SportsLine conference tournament odds, picks: Proven experts share best bets for every tourney 

Saturday’s conference tournament scores

• ACC final: No. 1 Duke 73, No. 2 Louisville 62 | Blue Devils win without Cooper Flagg
• America East final: No. 1 Bryant 77, No. 3 Maine 59
• American: Semifinals
• Atlantic 10: Semifinals
• Big East final: No. 1 St. John’s 82, No. 2 Creighton 66 | Red Storm rolls past Bluejays
• Big Ten: Semifinals | LIVE updates
• Big West final: No. 1 UC San Diego 75, No. 2 UC Irvine 61
• Big 12 final: No. 1 Houston 72, No. 3 Arizona 64 | Cougars win first Big 12 title
• Conference USA final: No. 1 Liberty 79, No. 2 Jacksonville State 67
• Ivy League: Semifinals
• MAAC final: No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s 63, No. 4 Iona 49
• MAC final: No. 1 Akron 76, No. 2 Miami (Ohio) 74
• MEAC final: No. 1 Norfolk State 66, No. 2 South Carolina State 65
• Mountain West final: No. 2 Colorado State 69, No. 5 Boise State 56
• SEC: Semifinals | LIVE updates
• SWAC final: No. 5 Alabama State 60, No. 2 Jackson State 56
• WAC final: No. 2 Grand Canyon 89, No. 1 Utah Valley 82

2025 conference tournaments/champions