Sunday Conference Championships Preview

The Big South, Atlantic Sun, and Missouri Valley will all punch a ticket to March Madness on Sunday afternoon. Who will be the next in the Big Dance?

Yesterday, Morehead State was the first team to punch their ticket to the Big Dance after a 69-55 victory over Little Rock in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship. Today, three more teams will earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament in the following conferences:

• Missouri Valley

• Atlantic Sun

• Big South

Let’s preview each game and get you ready for an action packed Sunday.

Missouri Valley Conference

This is the match that college basketball fans have been waiting all season for, Drake vs Indiana State in the Arch Madness finals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Yesterday, Indiana State took care of business against Northern Iowa in a 94-72 victory. The Sycamores shot 15-29 from three, including Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope combining for 10-13 of those threes. It was all Indiana State from the beginning in this one, Avila posted 21 points, Swope 15 points, and Ryan Conwell with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Drake and Bradley produced one of the best games thus far in Arch Madness which ended in a 72-67 Drake win. It was back-and-forth for the majority of the game. Atin Wright led the way with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. Tucker DeVries did his usual with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Today, these two juggernauts battle off for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at 1 pm on CBS. Lunardi clams that Indiana State does not have enough Quad 1 games to earn an at-large bid shall they not win today. If either of these teams are left out in March Madness, it’d be a complete crime. However, we know that the selection committee plays favoritism to the power conferences rather than mid-majors.

Drake and Indiana State split the season series. Drake lost at Indiana State 75-67 and Indiana State lost at Drake 89-78. These results should show why today’s game is going to be must watch TV. Robbie Avila vs Ryan Conwell, Isaiah Swope vs Tucker DeVries, pure cinema. Tune in.

Big South

Yesterday, Longwood had the upset of the season in conference tournaments thus far in their 80-79 victory over High Point. After what was an up-and-down conference performance for the Lancers, they’ve shown why peaking at the right time is all that matters. Coming into today, they’ve won 6 out of their last 8 games. You may recall, Longwood had one of the best records in non-conference, however, that performance fell with a 6-10 conference record.

UNC Asheville has been on High Point’s heels the entire season with a 22-11 overall record and 12-4 record in conference. Bulldogs fans should be thrilled that High Point was upset yesterday, but Longwood will still be a challenge. Just a few weeks ago, UNC Asheville lost to Longwood 80-75. At the start of conference play, they defeated the Lancers by just four in a 65-61 win at home.

UNC Ashville is led by Drew Pember who averages 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1.9 blocks. Following up with Josh Banks at 13 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. For Longwood, the Lancers are led by Walyn Napper who averages 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Following up with Johnathan Massie at 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

It’s going to be a dog fight on ESPN 2 here in about 30 minutes at 11am CDT.

Atlantic Sun

The ASUN tournament has been a thrilling with multiple upsets. Today at 1pm on ESPN 2 we will be seeing the second seeded Stetson battle it out against the fourth seeded Austin Peay.

Austin Peay has been as hot as anyone in recent weeks winning 9 out of their last 10 games. This includes a near upset in the ASUN quarterfinal in a 101 overtime victory over North Florida. The Governors are led by Demarcus Sharp with 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2 steals. Following up with Dezi Jones with 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals.

The Stetson Hatters have won 8 out of their last 10 games after surviving a scare from Jacksonville in the ASUN semifinals in an 88-87 victory. Stetson is led by Jalen Blackmon who averages 20.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Following up with Stephan Swenson with 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. Swenson was the star of the show in their Jacksonville victory.

The Hatters and Governors have faced off just one time this season which ended in thrilling fashion. The Hatters snuck past with an 83-82 victory on some clutch free throws from Jalen Blackmon.

Both teams have had shaky starts to their season, but each have respectfully finished the year on fire, which is what matters the most in college basketball.