No. 1 Gonzaga claimed its third straight WCC Tournament title and ninth in the last 10 seasons on Tuesday night by knocking off No. 17 St. Mary’s 82-69 behind a strong effort from its back court. The Bulldogs got 19 points from Andrew Nembhard and 18 from Rasir Bolton — the duo combined for 23 of the team’s 44 second half points — as the Zags avenged a Feb. 26 loss to the Gaels. The outcome puts Gonzaga on solid footing to potentially be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament with Selection Sunday on CBS just days away, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm.
The WCC Tournament title game was one of six league tournament championship games on a busy Tuesday in college basketball. Wright State is headed to its second NCAA Tournament in the last five seasons after beating Northern Kentucky 72-71 in the Horizon League final. The Raiders stormed back from a 16-point deficit in the second half behind the play of Tanner Holden and Trey Calvin. Holden scored 15 of his 19 points after halftime, and Calvin hit the game-winner with 10 seconds left.
Delaware took the CAA Tournament title with a 59-55 victory over UNC Wilmington after trailing 39-32 early in the second half. Jyare Davis led the way for the Blue Hens with 18 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 1:01 remaining. It will be the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
Bellarmine won the ASUN Tournament title with a 77-72 victory over Jacksonville, but the Knights will not be going to the NCAA Tournament since they are still transitioning from Division II. Instead, it will be the ASUN’s regular season champion, Jacksonville State, that receives the league’s automatic bid.
In the NEC Tournament championship, Bryant crushed Wagner 70-43 to secure the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. The game wasn’t close, but there was some drama in the stands as play was halted for several minutes amid an altercation between the Bryant student section and Wagner fans.
Finally, the Summit League Tournament produced a thriller as South Dakota State followed up on an undefeated run through league play by also winning the conference tournament title with a 75-69 victory over North Dakota State. This marks the Jackrabbits’ sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 11 seasons and first under third-year coach Eric Henderson.
As automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament get handed out, we’re tracking all the action here.
Tuesday’s conference tournaments in action
2022 conference tournament schedules
| Conference | Tournament site | Dates (Final TV) | 2022 Champion |
| AAC | Fort Worth, Texas | March 10-13 (ESPN) | |
| ACC | Brooklyn, N.Y. | March 8-12 (ESPN) | |
| America East | Campus sites | March 6, 9 & 12 (ESPN2) | |
| Atlantic 10 | Washington D.C. | March 9-13 (CBSSN) | |
| ASUN | Campus sites | March 1, 3, 5 & 8 (ESPN) | Bellarmine (20-13) – x |
| Big East | New York | March 9-12 (Fox) | |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 9-12 (ESPNU) | |
| Big South | Charlotte, N.C. | March 2, 4-6 (ESPN2) | Longwood (26-6) |
| Big Ten | Indianapolis | March 9-13 (CBS) | |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 9-12 (ESPN) | |
| Big West | Henderson, Nev. | March 8, 10-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Colonial | Washington D.C. | March 5-8 (CBSSN) | Delaware (22-12) |
| Conference USA | Frisco, Texas | March 8-12 (CBSSN) | |
| Horizon League | Indianapolis | March 1, 3, 7 & 8 (ESPN) | Wright State (21-13) |
| Ivy League | Cambridge, Mass. | March 12-13 (ESPN2) | |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, N.J. | March 8-12 (ESPNU) | |
| MAC | Cleveland, Ohio | March 10-12 (ESPN2) | |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Va. | March 9-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 3-6 (CBS) | Loyola-Chicago (25-7) |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 9-12 (CBS) | |
| Northeast | Campus sites | Feb. 28, March 2, 5 & 8 (ESPN) | Bryant (22-9) |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Ind. | March 2-5 (ESPN2) | Murray State (30-2) |
| Pac-12 | Las Vegas | March 9-12 (Fox) | |
| Patriot | Campus sites | March 1, 3, 6 & 9 (CBSSN) | |
| SEC | Tampa | March 9-13 (ESPN) | |
| Southern | Asheville, N.C | March 4-7 (ESPN) | Chattanooga (27-7) |
| Southland | Katy, Texas | March 9-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, S.D. | March 5-8 (ESPN2) | |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Fla. | March 3, 5-7 (ESPN2) | Georgia State (18-10) |
| SWAC | Birmingham, Ala. | March 9-12 (ESPNU) | |
| WAC | Las Vegas | March 8-12 (ESPNU) | |
| West Coast | Las Vegas | March 3-5 & 7-8 (ESPN) |
X – Bellarmine is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament so ASUN regular season champion Jacksonville State is awarded the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
